A Brotherly Vacation
by DiddyKF1
Summary: Tails has been stressing himself out with endless periods of work, with disastrous results. When Sonic notices this, he decides that Tails should take a nice relaxing vacation to help him regain his self-confidence. Mainly based on Sonic Boom. Contains SonTails brotherly fluff, nostalgic references, canon collisions (as I call them) and some intense action with gigantic robots!
1. An overworked fox

_**Well, I've really been into the SonTails brotherly thing lately, and now I've thought of an idea that could work well for a Sonic Boom episode! Sure, Sonic Boom! Why not!?**_

_**Since I'm currently in an average difficulty math class in college, chapters for this story may not come as often as I would like, but whenever I catch a break, I'll use as much time as I can to work on this awesome piece!**_

_**Anyways, enough with all the chitchat. Let's get the show on!**_

* * *

_**A BROTHERLY VACATION**_

* * *

Bygone Island. An absolutely gorgeous place to spend some relaxing time if one ever considered it. It could only be the typical tropical island for a summer vacation; beaches, mountains, villages and jungles.

Most impressively, though, this island had recently become the latest residence of the famous Sonic the Hedgehog and his closest friends, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echinda, Amy Rose, and their newest friend, Sticks the Badger. Together, the five, when joined, would become an unstoppable force of heroes, famously known as "Team Sonic". When they were together, the evil genius, Ivo Robotnik, now best known as Doctor Eggman, would never stand a chance at taking over this island. As long as Team Sonic was around, everyone was safe.

Many of the villagers on this island, including the guilt-tripping Gogobas, felt very grateful to have Sonic and his friends on their island. Without them, who knew what could have become of them?

Right now, summer was blooming over Bygone Island. The jungles looked as beautiful as ever, as the sunshine brightly lit the flower-filled grass and the vine-filled trees. The villages were a warm and comfortable place to be for those who resided there. The beaches were as hot as they ever had been. The mountains were a glorious sight for sore eyes, all the way up to the snow-covered top.

It was a sunny Wednesday morning. It had quickly turned into one of the hottest and brightest days on Bygone Island. As far as everyone was concerned, it was just another typically relaxing day.

Sonic the Hedgehog was in front of his own shack, lazing comfortably in his recliner, soaking in the warm sunshine as he enjoyed another slow morning without any nonsense from Eggman.

Sonic was a blue hedgehog, wearing a brown bandanna around his neck, white gloves with sports tape wrapped around them, and large socks and red/white shoes with tape wrapped around them, too. He was famously coined, "The Fastest Thing Alive", due to his sonic running speed. Why, he could run faster than the speed of sound!

Sitting in another recliner right next to Sonic was another hedgehog, but unlike Sonic, she was pink, and had beautiful pink hair and a fancy lavender sarashi. Her name was Amy Rose. She often considered herself to be a love interest of Sonic's, but the blue hedgehog would often try to dismiss her romantic attempts to take him as her boyfriend.

About fifty yards away, a volleyball net had been set up, and two others were using it to play volleyball.

One of them was a red echidna who was taller than any of the other members of Team Sonic. He even had the biggest muscles out of anyone in the group. Due to the way his gloves looked like, he preferred the name, Knuckles.

The other was a small brown/orange jungle badger whom had spent her whole life living in the jungle on this island and was the newest member of Team Sonic. She wore unique hair locks on her hair and a BFF necklace with two pendants around her neck. She went by the name of Sticks.

Knuckles and Sticks both seemed to be playing like real volleyball pros. Knuckles seemed rather amazed at Sticks' volleyball skill, given that she had lived most of her life alone in the jungle.

Sonic drifted further back in his recliner seat and sighed.

"Ah, this feels great. Whenever I find a day like this, I prefer to enjoy it as much as I can," the blue hedgehog sighed to himself.

"Especially since you have someone like me to accompany you!" added Amy happily.

Sonic rolled his eyes and stared off at the sky without looking at Amy.

"And everyone else," added Sonic.

"Hmm, … I don't know if it feels like … everyone," corrected Knuckles before returning another shot from Sticks, sensing the absence of another one of their closest friends, "Tails still isn't here yet."

"Where is that fox friend of ours, anyway?" asked Sticks as she once again tossed the volleyball in the air towards Knuckles.

"I don't know," answered Amy, "How about you, Sonic?"

Sonic contemplated his thoughts. He quickly remembered that it had been at least several days since he last heard from his little brother.

"I haven't really seen him in a few days," the blue hero said before turning to his friends, "Have any of you caught a glimpse of him lately?"

"Haven't heard or seen Tails in a week," said Knuckles worryingly.

"I haven't seen him in a while, either," added Sticks.

"He's probably been very busy over the past week," put in Amy, "Besides, if none of us have heard from Tails in over a week, then he must be working on something huge."

Sonic knew that this couldn't always be the case. Whenever they hadn't heard anything from Tails after such a long time like this, there was always the possibility that he was having a struggle and was wearing himself out with endless work. He knew his little brother had times like these before.

"I don't think it's something huge," Sonic finally concluded, "He's probably just in one of those periods again."

"Whaddaya mean, periods?" asked an extremely curious Sticks.

Sonic sat up in his chair and turned to his friends.

"Well, think about it," he began, "Tails has had times when he seems to work so hard that he wears himself out and begins to struggle with many of the things he does. It's always possible if he's been sheltering himself in his workshop for the longest time."

Sticks came to the understanding about Tails as she continued her game with Knuckles, having listened closely to every word Sonic said.

"So you're saying he's run himself down again?" said Knuckles in an assumption.

"At least, that's what I think," replied Sonic, "Whenever that happens, I worry about him. After all, he's my little brother, and he's the bright mind out of all of us. Think about it, Knuckles. Who was the one who taught you how to count, to wrap your sports tape and to ride a bike?"

"Something I often don't like to be reminded of," said Knuckles in slight embarrassment, "But, yes, I know. It was Tails."

"But whenever Eggman's out there, doing something up to no good, Tails is usually always ready to fight," added Amy.

"Yes, but what if Eggman were to come down here right now, and Tails wasn't here?" continued Sonic, "Sometimes, even one short would be too much of a disadvantage."

"Sonic, I think you're just being a little paranoid," said Amy, dismissing some of Sonic's thoughts, "Tails is probably just taking it easy in the warmness of his own workshop."

Sonic sighed in disappointment. He could sense that Amy was not agreeing with his thoughts.

"I'm sure that's what you all think, but I think otherwise. I haven't heard a word from my little brother in about a week up to now. I should go over to his house and check on him this afternoon," said Sonic.

"Oh, Sonic, you've gotta stop worrying so much about Tails," snapped Amy.

Sonic didn't want to argue any longer, so he laid back in his chair and sighed.

Amy, not wanting to cause anymore tension, sighed to cool herself down and looked apologetically at Sonic.

"Sorry that I snapped at you, Sonic," she said, "I just wish you wouldn't worry so much at times like these. I mean, it's so nice out today. Just feel the cool breeze rushing around us. You should be enjoying the fresh breeze of a sunny day."

Sonic looked at Amy and faintly grinned at her before turning back towards the ocean. Amy grinned back and stood up to stretch her limbs.

"_I know they're wrong. I can tell when something is wrong with Tails. I know when there's an issue with my little brother or not. I must go over there and see what he's been up to," _Sonic thought as he stared off into the sea, determined to see his little brother and hope that he was okay.

Just as Amy sat back down in her chair, Sonic suddenly stood up and let out a fake yawn as he stretched his arms upward.

"I need to go inside and nourish myself with a drink," he told Amy.

"Okay, Sonic. We'll all be right here, enjoying the lovely weather," the pink hedgehog replied.

"Cool," said Sonic, and he turned towards his shack and slowly walked inside.

The blue hedgehog walked towards his refrigerator and opened it to find plenty of drinks filling up the second shelf.

"Lucky to always have something around," he said to himself as he pulled out a small can filled with cherry-flavored soda.

Sonic closed the refrigerator door and opened the soda can, then he quickly gulped down the soda. Within just a few seconds, the entire can was empty, all of the soda being rushed down Sonic's throat as he drank it.

In seconds, his throat felt much cooler than it had before. He felt ready to go outside and run around the island at his full sonic speed! It was as if nothing in the world could strike him down with his new energy!

However, never for one second did Sonic take his mind off of Tails. He knew there was a reason to be concerned about him, and he was going to go to the fox's house whether the others wanted him to or not. He knew there was always a way to sneak out of a friendly hangout just to care for an even closer friend …

His adopted little brother.

Without thinking twice, Sonic stepped back outside and briefly glanced at his friends to ensure it was safe to run off.

Amy was still relaxing in her pink recliner, and Knuckles and Sticks were still playing their wildly awesome game of volleyball.

Feeling ensured that it was safe to leave, Sonic turned the other way and ran off at full speed!

As he ran, the animals that lived in the peaceful jungle could only be astounded by the sight of a speeding blue blur traveling faster than the speed of sound! To them, it was so extraordinary.

In just about no time, Sonic's emerald green eyes caught the sight of Tails' house and workshop, the place where the fox made a living by building new inventions and working on his plane, known as the "Tornado".

The exterior of the house looked somewhat like a science facility. Windmills and waterwheels dominated the look of the exterior as they sustained energy to the entire house and workshop.

The workshop was even used as a "garage" for the Tornado, where the genius-minded fox would work endlessly on it to ensure it would never fail in a battle against Doctor Eggman.

Overall, the whole place combined was just the perfect living place for someone like Tails; a genius, a gadget specialist, a skilled aerial pilot, a strategist; the overall brains of Team Sonic!

Sonic looked around the house and workshop, and observed the area. From outside, everything seemed perfectly normal.

But Sonic could somehow sense that not quite "everything" was normal today. He didn't know how to explain it, but he sensed that something suspicious was going on here.

The hedgehog ran right up to the front door of Tails' house, the "living area" of this facility, and gently knocked on it three times.

"Hey, Tails! Are ya awake yet, buddy?" he called.

No reply came. Everything was dead silent, except for the windmills and waterwheels nearby.

Sonic waited a few more seconds, then called again.

"Tails?"

Still nothing.

Feeling more worried about his brother than before, Sonic cautiously placed his left hand on the doorknob and slowly twisted it. He was contemplating many thoughts as to what he would see once he opened the door. Maybe Tails was sick and he was slumping on his couch, looking awful. Maybe one of his experiments had gone wrong and turned him into something Sonic couldn't imagine.

Soon, the door to the house opened, and, much to Sonic's surprise, Tails wasn't there.

There was no sign of life anywhere in the house. The only thing that was moving was the fan attached to the ceiling, spinning around continuously to keep the house cool from the hot temperatures outside.

Sonic quickly concluded that Tails was, indeed, in his workshop.

"Perhaps I better go look in his gadget garage," joked Sonic as he closed the door and turned to Tails' workshop.

Rather than simply giving him a regular excited greeting like usual, since he and his brother hadn't seen each other in a week, he decided it was best to first walk up to one of the windows and take a peek at what Tails was doing.

Sonic stepped beside one of the windows and quietly peeked his eyes through.

There was the bright orange/white fox himself, wearing brown goggles with orange lenses on his forehead, a brown work belt around his waist, with a strap around his left shoulder, white medium-long gloves, and red/white sneakers with sports tape wrapped around the middle of them. His trademark, however, were the two twin tails behind his waist, that he could use for flying around. It was more than just a deformity; it was something special, as Sonic had put it the day he and Tails first met.

As Sonic peeked through the window, Tails appeared to be working on some gadget which Sonic hadn't seen before. The hedgehog began to ponder that what he was thinking may have been wrong. Perhaps, Tails was taking his time with a series of new gadgets that would make Team Sonic even more invincible.

However, a few seconds later, all of that was proven wrong when Sonic heard the sound of metal crashing against the floor with a couple of bounces, followed by …

"Man! Not again! When will I ever find the right way of doing this one!?" came Tails' angry voice from inside the workshop.

Sonic took a deep breath as his worry for Tails grew even more.

Then, Tails turned around and looked at the pieces of metal that had only just moments ago been scattered all over the floor, along with hundreds of other scrunched up pieces. They all appeared to be from broken, unfinished gadgets; not one of them completed.

As Sonic looked at Tails' eyes, he nearly gasped …

Tails' eyes had black spots underneath them, revealing that he hadn't slept for days! His orange and white fur was very filthy, too; covered in black soot with excessive sweat pouring all over him from head to toe. To Sonic, that was a sign of endless hours of unsuccessful work.

"_I knew it! He really has been wearing himself down," _thought Sonic, _"I knew I wasn't worried for nothing. He must be so worn down by now. He's been working endlessly for days without rest!"_

Sonic always knew that working on planes and gadgets for days straight without any rest was never a good thing for Tails, and he knew that it was happening again right now. The hedgehog had to think of something to get Tails away from his work … and fast!

The blue hero ran back over to the workshop door and knocked gently.

"Hey, little buddy! How's it hanging today!?" called Sonic, pretending to act excited and cheerful.

He heard a sigh from Tails before the fox replied in a lazy voice, "Haven't accomplished anything in days!"

Sonic slowly opened the door and found his brother kneeling on the floor in front of the scattered remains of his unsuccessfully-finished gadget projects.

"Tails?" said Sonic in a gasp as he looked at Tails, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Why could anyone ask that when they know that I'm just standing here, having messed up everything I've tried to do over the last six days," said Tails in a very low voice.

Sonic looked around the workshop and found some areas to be a total mess, much to his shock. He knew something wasn't right with Tails this week.

"My goodness, Tails! Look at this place! It looks as if you've been working in a nineteenth-century animal barn!" commented Sonic.

Tails yawned and didn't reply to Sonic's comment, feeling too tired to say anything.

"You've gotta give yourself some sleep, buddy," continued Sonic, "You can't just work endlessly for days without sleep. It's bad for you."

"I couldn't possibly get any sleep until I get this project done," replied Tails tiredly.

"You'll never get it done unless you take a break for a little while, pal," said Sonic, "Come on, Tails. Let's get you in the house."

Tails stood up and was about to pick up his wrench when Sonic grabbed him around the chest and pulled him away, much to the fox's dismay.

"Hey! Let go of me, Sonic! I … can't … get my eyes off this thing!" complained Tails, who couldn't find the strength to pull himself out of Sonic's hold.

"Not until you get some sleep first, my little pal," retorted Sonic as the duo left the workshop.

The hedgehog closed the workshop door, then he picked up Tails and carried him on his back on the way back to the house.

Tails' weight felt slightly heavy as Sonic carried him. He could tell that it was only because he was very tired and was behaving very lazily on his big brother's back.

Sonic walked up to the house door and opened it. Then, he rushed over to the soft couch where Tails occasionally slept, rather than the makeshift bed where he normally slept, and he gently placed his brother on the couch before tucking his head on a soft white pillow.

Seeing that Tails was beginning to fall asleep, Sonic then took a very soft blanket and covered Tails' body with it so that he could stay warm on the couch. Finally, the hedgehog gently pulled the goggles off Tails' forehead and set them on the table, and he pulled off his gloves, shoes and socks and set them on the floor so that the fox could sleep more comfortably.

"Sleep well, Tails," whispered Sonic as he watched his little brother drift off to sleep, "I hope you'll be feeling right with the world once you wake up again."

After Tails fell asleep, Sonic could only think of sitting on the other couch while he watched his brother sleep cutely for the next eight hours.

The blue hedgehog wouldn't even take any time considering how he had abruptly left the others at his place just so he could check on Tails. He could think of nothing more than Tails' health, and he wanted to make sure he was feeling healthy again after a week's worth of endless stress.

* * *

It was 6:00 PM in the evening by the time Tails woke up. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was on his comfy sofa. The soft blanket felt very warm over his body. The back of his head also felt very comfortable as the pillow cushioned him. The black spots on his eyes were now gone after getting eight hours of sleep.

The fox sat up and looked around his house. He noticed his clothes sitting on the table. It was nice to know they were right there, ready for him to put them right back on. Somehow, though, he couldn't recall how he had ended up on his sofa in the first place.

Then, he heard a familiar voice greeting him …

"Hey there, buddy," said a happy Sonic, sitting on the other sofa, having spent the last eight hours looking after his brother.

Or was it quite a full eight hours?

Tails looked around and noticed Amy, Knuckles and Sticks hanging in the kitchen.

"Hi, Tails. We were feeling worried sick about you after Sonic told us you were stressing yourself out," said Amy in a nice voice.

Tails soon remembered that Sonic had found him struggling hopelessly in his workshop and pulled him out of his stressful period.

"What happened?" asked Tails, rubbing his forehead, "I felt as if I was in a daze before I fell asleep."

Sonic sat on Tails' couch beside his brother and gently patted his back.

"You had worn yourself out with work for six straight days without taking a break, buddy," explained Sonic, "It's not good for you."

Tails' eyes grew wide with shock as he heard those words from his big brother.

"Wow. No wonder I feel like I haven't felt this good in days," commented Tails.

"We didn't believe Sonic at first, but once he came to us after he found you collapsing in your workshop, there was no way we couldn't believe him," added Knuckles, "You had us all worried there for a while, little one."

"How are you feeling, Tails?" asked Sticks, sipping a glass of juice.

"I'm feeling okay now, guys," answered Tails, "Feeling ready to get something done."

"Whoa, not so quickly, Tails," said Sonic, quickly stopping his brother from leaving the comfort of his couch, "Take it easy, little pal."

Tails was stunned by Sonic pinning him down instead of letting him return to his work.

"You really should take it easy for a little while, buddy," added Sonic.

"By the way, Tails, we left you a plate of chocolate chunk cookies!" said Amy, revealing a plate stacked with said cookies sitting on the kitchen counter.

"We all know it's your favorite!" added Knuckles.

"And this time, they're not evil!" finished Sticks.

Knuckles and Amy looked at Sticks with strange glares for a few brief seconds, much to the badger's embarrassment.

"What?" asked Sticks in confusion.

The three turned back to Sonic and Tails.

"Well, we'd love to stay, Tails, but we gotta go home for the night," said Amy as she, Knuckles and Sticks all left the kitchen and headed for the door.

"I hope you feel better soon, pal!" added Knuckles as the trio opened the door, "We have faith in you!"

"See ya later, guys!" said Sonic as he waved to his departing friends.

"See ya soon, Sonic!" replied Amy.

Amy walked out, followed by Knuckles, and Sticks, who closed the door, leaving Tails alone with Sonic.

As soon as the rest of the team was out of sight, Sonic turned back to Tails, who was still looking rather confused.

"Are you feeling okay, Tails?" asked Sonic worryingly, embracing his little brother in a gentle hug.

"Well, I feel much better than I did this morning," answered Tails.

"That's great, little buddy!" said Sonic encouragingly, "I'm glad to hear you're improving!"

"Yeah," replied Tails with a grin, "So am I."

"What exactly were you doing in there before I found you looking all drowsy?" asked Sonic curiously.

"Well, actually I was trying to build a new translator to replace UT," admitted Tails.

Sonic sighed. He remembered the day when UT proved itself to be a nuisance towards Team Sonic.

"Tails, we all remember what happened with your UT project," said Sonic.

"I know, Sonic. That's why I decided that with this replacement, I wouldn't program it to read other peoples' minds so that it wouldn't be another dismal failure, but over the last few days I've been struggling to even get the components right, and everyday it just gets worse and worse. Building a UT that could read peoples' minds was much easier compared to what I'm trying to accomplish here. I just don't know what to do."

"Well, stressing yourself out with six straight days of work without rest or food certainly wouldn't help," said Sonic, "You quickly got so attached to this new project that you suddenly couldn't step away from it, not even for one minute. You haven't been getting the sleep you've needed, buddy. It's unhealthy to go days without sleep. It's especially unhealthy to go days without eating. I'm sure your stomach is probably growling."

Sure enough, both Sonic and Tails' ears caught the sound of Tails' growling stomach hardly a moment later.

"See. I told ya," said Sonic.

"Gee. You're right. I'm starving," replied Tails as he began to feel a pain in his stomach.

"I'll go get that plate of cookies Amy left for you," said Sonic, and he stood up and walked over to the kitchen counter.

Tails' stomach quickly started growling for food even more every second. Six days without eating anything had put a lot of strain on the poor fox's digestive system. He needed something to eat right now!

Not a moment too soon, Sonic returned to the couch, sat down and playfully set the plate of cookies right on Tails' lap, much to the fox's delight! His tongue stuck out from his mouth as his eyes grew wide with wonder at the sight of those delicious chocolate chunk cookies!

Without hesitating, Tails swiped a cookie from the plate and shoved it into his mouth like a two-year-old. Sonic almost laughed at the sight of Tails eating his cookies like a toddler would, but he was able to stop himself from laughing, but not without failing to hide a grin on his tan muzzle.

Within a minute, Tails had eaten at least five cookies! Sonic wasn't surprised, though.

"Boy, you sure were hungry, weren't ya!?" the hedgehog said playfully.

"Oh yeah!" replied Tails happily, "It feels great to be eating again!"

"I'll be right back," said Sonic, and he once again left the couch while Tails kept eating his cookies.

The fox's tongue was treated to the delicious taste of chocolate chunks as it sunk into his taste buds. It felt so sensational, as if he hadn't tasted cookies like these in years.

A moment later, Sonic once again rejoined his brother on the sofa, just as Tails was about to take the last cookie. The fox decided to keep the lone cookie on the plate.

Sonic had a glass of milk in his hand, and he carefully handed it to Tails.

"How's about that last cookie, buddy?" said Sonic curiously.

"You can have it, Sonic. After all, you're my big brother," replied Tails with a grin.

"Aww, you're too kind, Tails!" said Sonic with a return grin as he hugged Tails and took the last cookie from the plate.

As Sonic put the cookie in his mouth, his taste buds were instantly sinking into that amazing mixture of chocolate chunks and cookie dough. It tasted like nothing else he had ever eaten before.

"Wow. Amy really does make great cookies," commented Sonic just after swallowing the cookie.

"Yeah. She really is a real cookie chef," agreed Tails, earning a giggle from Sonic.

The fox began drinking his glass of milk, the first drink he had since he last drank bottled water in his workshop while stressing himself out.

"So, … I don't understand. Being the master of gadgets and all, what was going on over these last six days?" asked Sonic, curiosity once again getting the best of him.

"Well, at first it seemed to start off well," Tails began, "I was able to get the wiring systems figured out, but when it came time to start building the actual robot, everything went wrong from there on. I started to get a little too fast with my tools. I really wanted to get this thing finished as soon as I could, but every time I dug out more replacement components, the more often I found them useless. I was really looking forward to a nice replacement for UT."

Sonic took the cookie plate off Tails' lap and set it on the table before hugging his little brother tightly.

"Listen, Tails, my little bro," began Sonic, "Most of us were able to get a liking to UT, but it did seem to cause tension between us at times. I know you're not trying to go in that direction again with this new one, … but even I can't predict what the outcome of it would be. Add to that, it sounds to me like you've been working on it so fast that you tired yourself to the point of exhaustion. How could you work on anything when you're so exhausted?"

"I felt that I couldn't stop working on it until it was done," replied Tails with a sad voice.

"Well, sometimes it is better to take breaks every now and then. We all know that, buddy," said Sonic.

"I know, Sonic," said Tails, lazing his head back on his pillow.

Sonic noticed Tails' sad look on his face and hugged him even tighter to keep him comfortable.

Then, the hedgehog looked at Tails' fur and noticed it was still rather filthy from the sweaty period he had endured in his workshop.

"Ever since Sticks threw UT into the ocean, I've felt like I've been losing self-confidence on some of my projects," admitted Tails, "It just hasn't felt the same since."

Sonic suddenly understood everything behind Tails' stressful period, but he knew there was still something to be done that he believed could help him regain his self-confidence.

"Tails?" said Sonic gently.

"Yes, Sonic?" replied Tails as his eyes threatened to fill with tears.

"When was the last time you had a nice relaxing vacation?" asked Sonic.

* * *

_**Vacation!? Did somebody say vacation!? Well, as a matter of fact, yes! But it's not gonna happen right away. :(**_

_**Out of possibly any point in the story, I decided it was best to end the first chapter here with that last line from Sonic, because it's just the right way to describe what he wants to do for his brother! I guess we can all hope that if Tails will accept a vacation, it will be a relaxing one. Like Sonic said, Tails might need a vacation to help him regain his self-confidence.**_

_**Well, since I'm currently facing College Algebra, I can't promise that the next chapter will be tomorrow, but since I take Tuesdays and Thursdays off, I might be able to steadily work on this story as college goes on, but it's not gonna be an easy feat to pull off. I'll have a lot of studying to do for my class, so please allow me to use as much time as I need to write this story, and DON'T rush me!**_

_**With that said, I hope you've enjoyed this opening of what should hopefully be a great fanfic, and I'll see you later with chapter two!**_

_**;)**_


	2. Consideration

_**Hi, everyone! I've managed to get some spare time today to bring you chapter two of "A Brotherly Vacation"! So, let's see what Tails will think about taking a vacation!**_

* * *

"_Tails?" Sonic said gently._

"_Yes, Sonic?" replied Tails as his eyes threatened to fill with tears._

"_When was the last time you had a nice relaxing vacation?" asked Sonic._

Tails was stunned after hearing those words. Normally, he would never expect to hear the word 'vacation' come out of Sonic's mouth. He rarely ever took vacations, himself, so why would he suddenly be recommending this to his little brother?

The fox's eyes were wide with confusion after hearing the word 'vacation'. It was the last word he expected to hear from his big brother. Why would he want to take a vacation when he had so much work to do? Who knew if something could take advantage of him being gone for a while? Team Sonic would seem rather helpless without their skilled aerialist by Sonic's side.

"Vacation?" said Tails with a strange look on his face, "Why would I want to take a vacation?"

"Tails, little buddy," said Sonic, "You've been working on gadgets nonstop. You've been stressing yourself out with that huge mess you made in your workshop. I think working overtime is beginning to effect your judgment of certain things."

"I've never felt that working so hard could effect my judgment," said Tails, feeling rather shocked to hear this, "I've always been able to work well with my judgment."

"Well, what about your self-confidence?" reminded Sonic, "You said that ever since UT failed to impress, you've been feeling less confident about your work that you began to struggle to create something that could replace it."

"Yeah," replied Tails, "I have been feeling less confident about my work lately."

"And the less confident you feel, the more likely it'll effect your judgment, and the longer you'll keep sweating yourself out," added Sonic.

"But usually a day or two of rest would always do it for me," put in Tails.

"True, but what about six days of nonstop work … with no sleep?" said Sonic, "That's much worse than what you've experienced before."

Tails thought about his past times of sleepless work. Sure, he had been able to sweat out at least 24 hours worth of nonstop, sleepless work with at least one or two days of rest, … but six days of nonstop work? After hearing Sonic's explanation, it sure felt like a whole different story. The young fox could only agree now that his big brother was right. The more time he'd spend doing endless periods of work with no rest, the more time he'd have to spend taking a break from it all.

But something else was still on Tails' mind …

"I thought heroes didn't take vacations," the fox said.

"Well, that's what I used to think," said Sonic, "That was until you told me that taking a vacation often helps out with your health. Sometimes, I need just a few days to relax myself at some peaceful place where I can work out while enjoying the silent environments of nature, or when I decide to travel to places I haven't visited in a long time, such as Green Hill."

"How could I have forgotten about that?" wondered Tails, somehow not vividly remembering the time when he told Sonic the good things about taking vacations.

"Beats me, little buddy," replied Sonic, "But I think that now, it's my turn to return the favor. How's about spending a week away from all of that stressful work you've been doing. Maybe after a week's worth of relaxation, you'll be able to figure it out once you walk back into that workshop."

Hearing the word 'workshop' caught Tails' attention quickly. He suddenly remembered …

"My workshop! It's still a huge mess! I gotta go clean it up!" shouted Tails in shock.

The fox attempted to jump off the sofa, but Sonic acted fast and pinned his little brother back down on his pillow.

"Whoa! Slow down, Tails!" said Sonic, keeping Tails down under his blankets, "Take it easy! The workshop is just fine."

"No, it isn't! It's still a huge mess!" replied Tails worryingly, "You saw the pigsty I made when you found me collapsing in there!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Just relax, little buddy," said Sonic gently, "I got Amy, Knuckles and Sticks to help me clean up the mess while you were asleep. The workshop is perfectly fine now. It's as good as new. I made sure of that, too."

All of Tails' fears quickly vanished after hearing those gentle words from Sonic. There was no longer a need to worry about how good or bad his workshop looked. He felt lucky to have Sonic as a big brother, especially when he even volunteered to help keep his workshop clean so that Tails could work on his gadgets without many problems.

The fox took a few deep breaths and managed to calm himself down while Sonic hugged him once again.

"Just relax, Tails. There's nothing to get so worked up about," said Sonic, "Your workshop's as shiny as ever, you've gotten some sleep, …"

Sonic once again looked at Tails' orange and white fur. It was still partially covered in black soot from his stress period in the workshop.

"Maybe you'll feel a little … 'more' … better after you've taken a shower. You've still got soot all over ya," finished Sonic.

Tails looked down and found black soot still covering some of the white fur on his chest. He could only consider taking a shower to further take his mind off of that week-long stress test.

"Okay, Sonic. I'll go ahead and jump into the shower," said Tails as his big brother finally let him off the sofa.

"Good, little bro. Maybe then we'll discuss about taking a vacation. Whaddaya say?" replied Sonic.

"Okay, big bro. I'll think about it while I'm at it," answered Tails.

Sonic grinned at Tails and patted his head, earning a return grin from the fox as he stood up and walked over to his small bathroom, which really didn't look like much of a bathroom from far away.

As Tails still had all of his clothes sitting by the sofa, he didn't need to do anything before stepping into the shower tub and twisting the faucet.

An instant later, water started sprinkling out of the shower head at a very warm temperature, to which Tails always preferred when taking his showers. Having not felt such a thing like this for a week, he decided to just stand below the shower head and allow the warm water to sprinkle on his neck and run down the fur on his back, his chest and his two twin tails.

The fox grabbed a small green washcloth and opened a bottle of mint-scented soap, then he started scrubbing the washcloth all over his body just before the steam began to fill up the tub, making it feel hotter and somewhat more comfortable for him.

As soon as Tails was finished scrubbing all of the soot off his fur, he stood directly below the shower head and let the water run down his fur again, rinsing the soap off of him. Even after that, he continued to let the water soothe him warmly as he began to think about what Sonic had asked him about taking a vacation.

_Flashback …_

"_Heroes don't take vacations," said Sonic as he and Tails were relaxing in front of the fireplace on a cold winter evening._

"_But taking a vacation wouldn't be such a bad idea," suggested Tails, "It can be good for your health when you're taking so much stress from fighting against Eggman."_

_Sonic pondered his thoughts and came to the conclusion that a few days out in some peacefully quiet place wouldn't be so bad after all. It could be enough to refresh his mind … and his body from all the sweat and stress._

"_Ya know what, Tails?" said Sonic, breaking the long silence, "I think you're right. I've never thought of doing something to shake off the sweat from endless hours of running faster than sound until now. If I could do nothing more than relax and exercise myself just for fun for a few days, then Eggman will stand even less of a chance than ever!"_

_Tails giggled as Sonic agreed with him._

"_You really are a great little brother, Tails!" finished Sonic, grinning at his fox friend._

"_You're a great big brother, too, Sonic!" replied Tails happily as the two hugged each other warmly._

_End Flashback._

Tails thought happily on that night as the shower head continued to soothe him with warm water. If he was the one who suggested Sonic to start taking vacations when he most needed them, then Sonic knew what he was doing when he recommended that Tails took a vacation for his own.

"_Sure. I may work my brains out sometimes, but that doesn't mean I don't need some time off," _the fox thought as he contemplated Sonic's suggestion, _"If Sonic could tell that I'm working way too hard, then I'm sure he knows what he's talking about. After all, it wouldn't hurt to take a few days off and see the sights of the world … or just relax in the quietest places."_

As Tails contemplated his thoughts, he was suddenly interrupted by Sonic's voice …

"Hey, little buddy! Are ya almost finished in there? I'm sure that a little more sleep would do before preparing for a vacation."

Tails snapped back to reality as he heard Sonic urging him to finish his shower.

"Uh, yeah. I'm just about done," replied Tails as he twisted the faucet and turned the shower head off.

The water quickly died down, and Tails let himself drip some of the water off for a moment before shaking himself to remove all that was left. Finally, he stepped out of the tub and grabbed a red towel. He quickly dried off the wetness that was left from his long shower before setting the towel back on the counter and looking at himself in an average-sized mirror.

Tails smiled as he looked at his reflection through his sparkling sky blue eyes. He hadn't looked so sparkly clean for days, and he was very happy to be nice and squeaky clean again.

"I feel like a new fox," he said to himself as he opened the door and left the bathroom, feeling more relaxed than he had been in days.

Sonic was still sitting on the same sofa Tails had slept when his little brother rejoined him and sat down next to his big brother.

"Well?" said Tails, showing off his now-clean self.

"You look much better," commented Sonic, "Now that's the Tails Prower I know!"

The two brothers giggled as they hugged each other warmly on the sofa.

"So, Tails," said Sonic, gently patting Tails' legs while rubbing his back, "Whaddaya think about taking a vacation? Did you give any thought to it?"

"I sure did," answered Tails, "I think it would be nice to take a few days off of work after all. I was recalling my own advice I gave you when you told me that heroes didn't take vacations. Maybe it's time I took my own word for it."

"Awesome, buddy!" replied Sonic happily, "You're gonna love the next couple of days! You'll get to see the sights of the world, pay some visits to some places you've been dying to see again, and best of all, it'll be a very nice, relaxing, peaceful and quiet time."

Tails chuckled at all of those details. He really wanted to visit some familiar places again, particularly those that he enjoyed very much.

"You really know how to make these ideas heartwarming!" commented Tails.

Sonic chuckled after hearing those kind words. Then, he thought of something that could make it even more heartwarming …

"I've got another good idea, too. How's about if I went with you on this nice vacation?" finished Sonic.

Tails was surprised to hear that. He wasn't expecting Sonic to come up with that idea, yet he felt it would be nice if he didn't have to go alone on his vacation.

"Really?" the fox said with a surprised look on his face.

"Sure, buddy. I've been in need of some time off, myself, … and besides, that's what brothers are for," said Sonic, "They're there to care for each other. I care so much about you, Tails. You're more than just a little brother to me. You're everything a little fox like you can be to me. I've always been very happy to have you ever since the day we met, … and I'll always be happy to have you."

Tails' heart sank into happiness as he felt brotherly love coming from Sonic's warm kindness.

The fox quickly wrapped his arms around the hedgehog's neck and cuddled into him.

"You're a great big brother to me, too, Sonic," Tails replied happily, "You're everything a speedy hedgehog can be to me. I'll always be happy to have you, too!"

Sonic felt lots of love sink into his heart at that moment as he gently hugged Tails around his back in a cuddly fashion.

"I'll be more than happy to have you along in my vacation!" finished Tails, much to Sonic's joy.

"That's my little bro!" replied Sonic proudly, "I'd love to spend some quality time with you for a few days! It'll just be you and me; nobody else around. Just the two of us out on a nice brotherly vacation!"

"Aww, Sonic! You're such a sweet brother!" chuckled Tails delightfully.

"You're such a sweet brother, too, Tails!" said Sonic as he stroked Tails' hair and kissed his forehead in brotherly love.

"I love you, Sonic," said Tails cutely, returning the kiss on Sonic's tan muzzle.

"I love you, too, Tails," replied Sonic as his muzzle blushed in red from all the affection Tails was giving him.

Soon, the two brothers started yawning, which showed signs that it was time to get some sleep so that they could prepare for their vacation the following day.

"How's about we get some shuteye, pal?" said Sonic tiredly, "We wanna have plenty of energy for tomorrow. We'll be having to pack a few things with us so we'll be ready to leave in time to enjoy the fresh scent of the outdoors."

"Sure, buddy," answered Tails before yawning again, "I could sure do with some more sleep right about now. I want this vacation to be very enjoyable for both of us."

"Now that's what I call someone who'd love to take some days off!" joked Sonic.

Tails giggled at Sonic's joke and laid back down on his pillow, allowing his twin tails to cushion his head by sticking them underneath his pillow.

"I love you, Sonic," Tails said again as his big brother gently stroked his face, giving him slightly ticklish sensations, thus earning a few giggles from the fox.

"I love you, too, Tails," replied Sonic as he watched Tails cover himself up in his blankets, "Sweet dreams, little bro."

"Sweet dreams, big bro," responded Tails.

Sonic planted a small 'goodnight' kiss on Tails' white muzzle, to which Tails returned with another kiss on Sonic's muzzle.

"Goodnight, Tails."

"Goodnight, Sonic."

As Sonic slowly stood up and made his way to the other sofa, Tails quickly drifted off to sleep. Finally, the blue hedgehog lied down on the second sofa and wrapped a blanket over himself before resting his head on a pillow to get himself to sleep.

Unbeknownst to either one of the two brothers, a tiny red bug was sitting on one of the windowsills. However, this was not an actual bug. It was a mechanical bug with tiny camera lenses for eyes. In those eyes, two spooky, live, black eyes were peeking in on the brotherly conversation between Sonic and Tails.

"Hmm, … a vacation, huh? Very interesting."

* * *

_**Sorry if I had to end this chapter with a small cliffhanger, but it felt like the right thing to do. After all, without the suspicions, a Sonic Boom episode wouldn't feel so complete.**_

_**Anyways, that'll be all for tonight. I've got some studying to do, and it's just about time for dinner as I'm finishing this chapter.**_

_**Please feel free to review and give your thoughts on how the story looks so far, and I'll likely see you tomorrow with chapter three!**_

_**Until then, have a nice day and see ya later!**_


	3. An early head start

_**Just when it seems that nothing is going on around this island, something could be in the works as Sonic and Tails prepare for their vacation. :O**_

_**It's time for the suspicions to be proved.**_

* * *

"Certainly interesting," a strange man spoke as he watched through his red lens, eavesdropping on Sonic and Tails' conversation.

The man backed away from his lens and looked at his monitors.

This man had spooky black eyes, a long brown mustache and a body that appeared to be shaped like an egg. He wore a red jacket, white gloves, black pants and, like Tails, goggles over his head. He lived in a big fortress on another island just a handful of miles away from Bygone Island.

His name was Ivo Robotnik, although people nowadays called him "Doctor Eggman" because of his nature as an evil scientist and his egg-shaped body.

"I think I couldn't have eavesdropped a moment too soon," he snickered to himself as he gazed at the sleeping Sonic and Tails through the eight-millimeter lens on his robotic camera bug.

Just then, the scientist's thoughts were interrupted by two other voices …

"Why couldn't I have thought of doing something like that?" asked a yellow robot with a square head.

"Because he didn't want us to bother him with it!" answered another robot, a red one with a more round head.

Eggman's grin faded into an angry look as he turned to his robotic minions.

"Do you two ever understand anything about privacy!?" he yelled harshly.

"I just couldn't help but wonder why you've been leaving us alone for hours," replied the yellow robot.

"Because I usually prefer to work alone … and in silence!" answered Eggman.

"Even though you have so many other lackeys to choose from," complained the red robot.

"You two lackeys are the ones I can't stand the most!" corrected Eggman, "You two tend to be a waste of space in my spare time!"

"Fine then! If you don't want us to know your new plan!?" cried the yellow robot.

"Alright then, Cubot!" Eggman yelled at the yellow robot, "If you and Orbot are that desperate to know what my plan is, I'll slip it off!"

The two robots looked up at their boss with weird smiles, which Eggman simply glared back in disgrace.

"While I was eavesdropping on a conversation between that idiot, Sonic and his little fox friend, I heard something that might become an advantage for us," Eggman began before Cubot cut him off abruptly …

"Are they terminally sick?"

"No!" answered Eggman.

"Are we going to kidnap them in their sleep?" asked Orbot.

"NO!" repeated Eggman.

"Then I guess we'll just attack them first thing tomorrow morning while they're attending to their morning grooming," assumed Cubot.

Eggman was suddenly in a fit of rage from the constant, annoying chattering of his robots. He could do nothing more than let out a huge scream …

"NOOOOOO!" the doctor roared in fury.

This silenced Orbot and Cubot, and they seemingly froze from the shock they received from Eggman's yelling.

"DON'T YOU TWO EVER LISTEN TO ME!?" he screamed, "SONIC AND TAILS ARE TAKING A VACATION!"

Having come to some sort of understanding about Eggman's eavesdropping, the robots refused to speak, wanting to know more about their leader's new plan.

"While I was listening in, I heard those two considering a vacation to get themselves refreshed, and I think that this will be the perfect way for me to gain an advantage on my next plan," explained Eggman.

"Why would it be an advantage for us?" asked Cubot in his ever-growing stupidity.

"Because, you bucket of glitched bolts, with Sonic and Tails out of the way, the rest of those innocent people on Bygone Island will be helpless! To top it off, think of how Team Sonic would fare without their leader and his most-trusted sidekick at the helm."

Eggman let out an evil snicker, prompting Orbot and Cubot to laugh along with him, although with much more horrible laughs, to Eggman's annoyance.

"You two really do have a horrible laugh," commented Eggman harshly.

"When are they leaving?" asked Orbot.

"As far as I understand it, they're leaving tomorrow morning," answered Eggman, "I would give them the time they need to pack up and get ready to leave, then once they're gone we'll wreak havoc on this island, and those two lazy heroes will never know!"

Eggman let out a loud, evil laugh, to which Orbot and Cubot did not respond to.

"Then why are they taking a vacation?" asked Cubot, curiosity once again besting him.

"Why would they not!?" replied Eggman angrily, feeling more annoyed by his lackeys than ever, "In what other way would Sonic treat Tails to some time off after that fox collapsed in his workshop due to days at a time working on his useless weaponry without any rest? He's only lucky he didn't have a heart attack!"

"I almost feel sorry for that little orange one," admitted Orbot, much to Eggman's dismay.

"YOU ALWAYS FEEL SORRY FOR ANYONE HAVING HEALTH PROBLEMS!" Eggman screamed at Orbot, "NOW DO ME A FAVOR AND TAKE YOUR BUCKET OF YELLOW CUBES WITH YOU, AND GET OUT!"

The doctor pointed his finger at the door, signaling Orbot and Cubot to leave the room.

The two low-ranked robots slowly turned around, sank their heads and sluggishly floated towards the door.

Eggman watched angrily as Orbot pressed the door button to open the door. The door opened, and the two robots left their boss alone just before the door closed, leaving the room once again dimly lit by Eggman's monitors.

"Ooh, you just wait and see, Sonic. You and your little fox will soon regret making such a move like this," taunted Eggman as he once again focused on the two brothers sleeping, "Tails, you're gonna regret those extra hours of work more than ever once I'm finished with you and your worthless team of lackeys!"

Eggman let out another evil laugh that echoed throughout the room before he turned his camera bug away and guided it out of Tails' house for the night.

* * *

The next morning, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks were approaching Tails' house, hoping that Tails was feeling perfectly healthy again.

"I'm sure Sonic's been doing a good job taking care of him," said Amy.

"He's always been a good big brother to Tails," added Knuckles.

"I can't wait to see that smile on Tails' face again," finished Sticks as they walked up to the door.

Amy gently knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

"It's open!" called Tails' voice, prompting Amy to open the door and lead Knuckles and Sticks into the house.

As the trio entered the living room, they all gasped in surprise …

Two giant, filled backpacks were sitting on the couch table, slightly unzippered. Then, they found Sonic and Tails packing a few more sandwiches into their bags, much to the confusion of their friends.

"What's going on here?" asked Knuckles.

Sonic and Tails greeted their friends with a polite wave as they zippered their backpacks shut.

"What's with these giant backpacks? Are you two going somewhere?" asked Amy.

"Well, it's kinda hard to put it," Sonic began, "Tails and I had a little chat, and we've decided to take a nice, relaxing vacation."

"Vacation!?" Amy, Knuckles and Sticks all shouted with shocked looks on their faces.

"What's wrong with taking a vacation?" asked Tails, noticing the unhappy looks on their faces.

"As much as taking a vacation sounds nice, it could be a risk, too!" replied Amy worryingly.

"Whaddaya mean, risk?" asked Sonic in confusion, "There's nothing wrong with taking a vacation. Besides, it's for the good of Tails. He really needs a vacation after spending all those days working endlessly in his workshop with no rest. He almost had a heart attack in there."

"I agree," added Tails, putting his goggles on over his forehead, "I'd like nothing more than a little while's worth of peacefulness and quietness. It'll do our world a good."

"Yes, but what if someone tries to take advantage of you being gone?" asked Knuckles.

"Ya never know when evil's on the loose!" put in Sticks.

"Relax, guys," assured Sonic, "I sense no forces of evil attacking anytime soon. After all, Eggman would much rather be spending his time targeting a certain person than going for some alternative plot to bemuse one's absence."

"You really think so?" said Amy, not believing Sonic's words.

"Eggman has much more fun fighting me than anyone else," added Sonic, "If I was gone for a little while, he'd much rather just sit back in his lair and be pushed around by his low-ranked lackeys."

"If you say so," sighed Knuckles.

"How long will you guys be gone?" asked Sticks.

"A few days, at least," answered Tails.

"Yeah," agreed Sonic, "At least long enough for Tails to regain his composure. A few days off is the perfect medicine for him. After that, you'll be thanking me for coming up with the idea. He'll be tinkering in his workshop again in no time!"

Amy, Knuckles and Sticks all grinned at Sonic and Tails, but they still felt worried.

"Well, … I hope you have a nice, relaxing vacation," said Knuckles.

"Don't run into any evil cronies while you're gone," added Sticks.

"Just do us all a favor, … and stay safe," finished Amy.

"Amy, relax," reassured Sonic, "Tails and I will be just fine. We'll run off and visit places we haven't seen in years. Tails and I just need some time to revisit our old memories and relax, chill and simply be together like two great brothers. Ain't that right, Tails?"

"You've said it all, my big bro!" agreed Tails, giving Sonic a thumbs up, to which Sonic gave a return thumbs up.

"In any case, I hope you two have a good time," said Amy, finally feeling that all was well.

"By the way, if there are any other worries you can sweat off, why don't you three look after my workshop from time to time while we're away. It would be nice to come home and find everything still looking as good as new!" offered Tails in a playful manner.

"Sure thing, Tails," answered Knuckles, "We can keep your place looking as shiny as a science museum!"

All five of them laughed from those words before Amy, Knuckles and Sticks walked over to the sofa and sat down together.

"We'll probably even stay here and keep an eye on everything while you're out enjoying your vacation," offered Amy.

"Sure," answered Sonic, "But don't forget about my place, too!"

"Sure thing, Sonic," replied Amy, "I'll look after your place, too!"

"Sticks and I can stick around and make sure your house stays as neat as it is now!" added Knuckles.

"Awesome!" said Tails happily, tightening his waist belt and shoulder strap, "Well, we'll be outta here in just a few minutes."

"I just want you to know that whatever happens, we'll be thinking of you, too, while we're away," said Sonic kindly, "We will always make a great team, whether we can always be together or not."

With that, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks all ran up to Sonic and Tails, and they hugged their two best friends tightly in a group hug.

"Have a great vacation, you two," said Sticks.

"We will!" replied Sonic and Tails together as their friends released them from their hug.

Finally, the two heroes took their last sips of juice that stood on the kitchen counter and tossed their cups in the sink before rushing to the couch table to grab their backpacks.

"And you have a nice time hanging out while we're gone!" the two heroes chuckled as they put their backpacks on, pulling the straps over their shoulders.

Amy, Knuckles and Sticks exchanged one last wave to Sonic and Tails, to which the two heroes responded with one last hand wave before approaching the door.

"Bye, Sonic! Bye, Tails!" the three allies shouted together as their two leaders walked through the doorway.

"Bye, guys!" Sonic and Tails replied just before stepping into the outside world of Tails' house, closing the door behind them.

As the two brothers sniffed and smelled the scent of the fresh outdoors, they held hands as Sonic placed his other hand around Tails' shoulders.

"Well, … here we go, buddy. A week-long vacation just a few steps away," commented Sonic.

Tails giggled as he jumped and sat on Sonic's shoulders.

"Or just a few tailspins away!" joked Tails, making Sonic giggle back.

Tails wrapped his arms around Sonic's neck as the hedgehog placed a tight grip on his little brother's arms and tucked the fox's legs in, too.

Then, Tails started spinning his two namesakes like propellers, and he lifted himself and Sonic off the ground.

"My tails could really use the exercise," said Tails as he hovered above his house while Sonic clung tightly onto him.

"So, where do ya think we should start our vacation?" asked Sonic.

Tails thought hard on the possibilities of where to begin their relaxing vacation, until a very familiar place appeared in his mind. He thought it was the perfect idea to start such a vacation there …

"I've been thinking," Tails began, "I wanna go to Mystic Ruins. I lived there for quite some time, and I think it would be nice to visit there at least one more time."

Sonic thought about Mystic Ruins while Tails described his thoughts to him. It had been many months since he last paid a visit to Mystic Ruins, given that he and Tails were now residing on Bygone Island, along with Knuckles and Amy.

"You couldn't have thought of any brighter idea, pal. I'd love to go to Mystic Ruins again!" said Sonic happily to his brother.

"Well, in that case, let's take a nice, two-person flight there!" said Tails jokingly, making himself and Sonic laugh as he kept his tails spinning as fast as they could.

Tails then turned to the direction where he knew Angel Island would be seen, and he propelled himself forward, carrying Sonic with him on the opening leg of their "brotherly" vacation.

The two brothers thought deeply about Mystic Ruins, knowing that Tails previously owned a workshop there. They would want nothing more than to visit a place where the fox used to call "home".

* * *

_**Well, it seems that Mystic Ruins will soon find some familiar faces again after we haven't really seen it in the past few years. Wouldn't it be nice to travel to a place where many memories of your past can be found? :)**_

_**That's all for today. Time for me to catch a break before I continue college tomorrow. I sure hope you've been enjoying this so far! It'll only get even better in later chapters! I GUARANTEE IT!**_

_**Anyways, have a nice day, and I'll see you later when we revisit the Mystic Ruins! :D**_


	4. Mystic Ruins: Old Memories Never Die

_**Well, … now it's time that we … let the vacation begin! :D**_

_**Seems like it's only about to be the beginning of a tale of two brothers spending so much brotherly time together!**_

_**NOTE: This chapter may contain references to Sonic X.**_

* * *

As Tails constantly spun his tails and propelled himself and Sonic over the ocean towards Angel Island, Sonic wouldn't stop worrying about the huge body of water that seemed only a hundred feet below. Land appeared to be rather far from where they were. If Tails were to wear himself out any minute, Sonic would be a hedgehog panicking for his life.

"I sure hope you still have plenty of energy in those tails of yours, buddy," said Sonic worryingly.

"Don't worry, Sonic," replied Tails reassuringly, "I'm sure we'll be there in no time."

"What makes you say that?" asked Sonic.

"Look up ahead, buddy," said Tails, his eyes fixed on what was ahead of them.

Sonic looked ahead and caught the sight of Angel Island. Mystic Ruins was only just a few miles away from it.

"Just a little more and we'll be there," said Tails.

Sonic sighed in the hope that they would spend hardly anymore time over the ocean.

Tails kept on spinning his namesakes, and he wouldn't stop spinning them until they were over land. He felt a slight pain in them as they had been spinning endlessly for about half of an hour in an effort to keep them over the sea. The weight from having backpacks strapped over their shoulders didn't help much, either.

The fox shut his eyes as his pain grew little by the minute, but Sonic kept his eyes open to guide his little brother to land.

"Just a little further, pal. We're almost there," said Sonic as land became only half of a mile away.

Tails struggled on, panting as he spun his tails. He desperately wanted to stop spinning them now, but he knew he had to keep going just a little longer.

Only a few more seconds before landing; Tails slowed himself down to catch his breath, and the two began to lose height as they came up to the beach.

"Just about there," said Sonic as he bent his knees forward towards the land that lied ahead.

Just as Sonic could see their shadows approaching the sand, Tails stopped spinning his tails, and the two slowly began to fall.

Sonic kept his eyes on their shadows as he braced for that possible impact with water, his worst nightmare.

Tails was panting as he opened his eyes and saw where they were. He gave his tails one last spin to bring their shadows over to the sand, then he finally stopped so Sonic could prepare his feet for the landing.

The two gradually gained speed in their fall as Sonic spread his legs out and brought himself in a position to land on his feet while he clung onto Tails' limbs with his arms.

Tails shut his eyes again while Sonic kept his eyes open, and he watched as the sand approached them from below.

Timing his judgment precisely, the blue hedgehog brought his knees into a crouching position, and his shoes finally touched the ground.

Just as he felt his feet coming in contact with the sand, Sonic stood back up with Tails clinging onto his neck. As the fox felt the air cease to blow swiftly around them, he opened his eyes and found that they had successfully landed on the beach of Angel Island.

"Well, little buddy, you're quite an endurance flier, even without a plane!" commented Sonic.

Tails grinned at his big brother as he kept sitting on the back of Sonic's neck.

"Thanks, pal," the fox replied.

"Anytime, bud," said Sonic as he gripped one hand on Tails' arms and started running up the beach into the jungle.

"Now it's _my_ turn to give my _feet_ some exercise!" chuckled Sonic.

"Heh! I can wait much less for that glimpse at an old home!" replied Tails.

The two grinned at each other as Sonic ran faster than the wind.

As the hedgehog ran around the jungle at his supersonic speed, he felt as if he was having one of the most enjoyable times of his life! It especially felt enjoyable with Tails tagging along on his back!

The hedgehog's speed was so fast that it took them only a few minutes to get from the beach to a place they had known for many years …

Mystic Ruins!

Sonic stopped running as he and Tails looked around the area where Tails formerly called "home". Very little had changed over the last few years; the grass was a little taller, the trees were still blooming in the sunshine and the waterfalls were still glistening beautifully. It almost seemed as if nothing had changed at all.

"Hardly anything's changed around here," said Tails, "Still looks just as I remember it."

"I agree," replied Sonic, "Everything from the trees to the mountains. Just another walk in the park."

The two brothers gazed at everything they could lay their eyes on, enjoying everything that nature had to offer. The air felt so relaxing as Sonic kept a soothed and relaxed Tails on his back, and their surroundings were as quiet as just about any nature park. The only real sounds they could hear were the birds chirping in the distance and Sonic's footsteps on the dirt as he walked.

As the duo held hands, Tails rested his white muzzle on top of Sonic's head, which the hedgehog found rather soothing. He wanted nothing more than to treat his little brother to the most relaxing vacation of his life, and the way Tails rested his head on him told him that they were getting off to a wonderful start.

A few minutes later, the two brothers looked ahead and found a small house just off the cliff side. They recognized every feature it had, from the walls and the windows, to the roof and the small chimney.

"Here it is, little buddy," whispered Sonic.

"My old house," said Tails softly, "Looks just the way it was while I was living there. I really miss this place. I recognize everything about it, even to this day."

"Nothing's changed about it since we moved to Bygone," added Sonic.

"Except that I moved everything out of there and spread it around my new house at Bygone," said Tails.

"Everything?" asked Sonic curiously.

"Well, mostly everything," answered Tails, "My tools, … the Tornado planes, … my other belongings, … and even Cosmo's plant. I still have all of that with me in my new house."

"Well, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to go inside at least one more time," said Sonic, "Wanna relive a fond memory, Tails?"

Tails thought of all the times he spent in this house; building his gadgets, upgrading the Tornadoes, watering Cosmo's plant three times a day, and, of course, all of the playful times he had with Sonic while he lived here.

"I guess I could take a step through that door at least one more time," the fox finally answered.

"Okay, buddy," said Sonic gently as he lifted Tails off his back and set him down on his feet.

The two brothers held hands and paused for a moment before they each took a deep breath and walked up to the front door.

"It feels like old times already, just approaching this door," commented Tails.

"Same here, Tails," replied Sonic, "Same here."

The duo stopped right in front of the door and paused again before Tails slowly reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

"Well, … here we go," whispered Tails.

The brothers slowly walked through the doorway and stepped into Tails' former home.

Compared to the extremely natural hillside they had passed through, the house had changed quite a lot. Many of the rooms were now empty since Tails had moved a lot of the stuff out of this house when they moved to Bygone. The living room was down to nothing more than an old sofa that now had cobwebs all over it, and Tails' old TV (he had acquired a newer TV for his Bygone Island home). Even the remote was still sitting right next to it, which caught Sonic by surprise.

"Wow, buddy. You were even generous enough to let this TV set keep its remote," chuckled Sonic.

Tails giggled at Sonic's comment, and the hedgehog gently wrapped an arm around the fox's back to cuddle him as they walked around the house.

They looked to their left and found the fireplace they used to warm up with. They both remembered the many times they sat before the fire, enjoying each others' warm company.

It was in front of this very fireplace where Tails first suggested to Sonic about taking vacations. It was among the many memories in this house they would never forget.

The two walked into the kitchen and found very little differences from when Tails lived here. The old stove and oven were still there, along with the dining table and its chairs.

"Well, Tails, you really were looking to keep this place ready for anyone else who may have wanted to live here," said Sonic.

"Well, I kinda wanted to be more refreshed with my new home," said Tails, "How could I carry these heavy things into my new house when the people at Bygone already had some ready for us?"

"Yeah, that's true," agreed Sonic, "It saves us from having to break our backs with heavyweight furniture."

Tails grinned faintly as they looked at the cupboards above the stove.

"I assume those are empty," guessed Sonic.

"Yeah," answered Tails, "The kitchen equipment came along, too. I washed them, polished them and ensured that they would be as good as new again. Now they look as if they were manufactured only yesterday."

Sonic giggled.

They gazed at the kitchen sink, and the window just above it, which still glowed with sunshine and brightened up the whole room.

"This place really does bring back a lot of memories," said Tails.

"Why don't we look upstairs?" offered Sonic, "You may have had even more memories of your own up there? After all, you used to sleep there."

"Yeah," replied Tails, all the memories floating back into his head, "I really wanna see my old bedroom again."

"Well then, let's go up!" chuckled Sonic.

The hedgehog led the fox over to the stairs, after which Sonic stepped aside and allowed Tails to lead him upstairs.

As Sonic followed Tails from right behind, cobwebs dangled from the ceiling and brushed against them.

Tails coughed as he felt dust sinking into his nostrils.

"Blagh!" he coughed.

"You okay, buddy?" asked Sonic with concern.

"I'm okay, buddy," answered Tails, blowing all of the dust out of his head and rubbing the goggles on his forehead to keep them clean, "This place really has gotten dusty since I abandoned it a few years ago."

"Gee, you're right, Tails," agreed Sonic as he looked at all the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling above the stairs, "This place seems to get too old too fast."

After a few more close encounters with dust and cobwebs, Sonic and Tails finally made it to the top of the stairs and found a few more rooms. One of them was the bathroom, and the other was none other than Tails' old bedroom.

"If you ever wanted to move back into this house someday, I would assume that taking care of those cobwebs would be the first step," said Sonic.

"If I ever get the feeling that I wanna move back in here, I'd definitely do that first before bringing everything back in," replied Tails, "Bygone may be a nice place to live, but if I ever have to come back here, I'd definitely suggest it."

"Sounds nice," chuckled Sonic, hugging Tails around the back.

As Tails' namesakes wrapped around Sonic for a return hug, the fox turned to their right and looked in through the bathroom door.

Even the stained glass windows over the shower tub looked as if they could do with some cleaning, but they weren't as dusty as the stairs. The sink looked as if there was room for repairs to be done to it.

The two looked to their left and found the most important room in the whole house; Tails' former bedroom, the place where he used to sleep, the place where he would take care of Cosmo's seed, the place where he often sat down and drew sketches for his gadgets, planes and other inventions, many of which were successful and that he still had with him today. Those memories all lied in this very room.

The young fox slowly walked up to his old door and gripped on the knob with one of his twin tails. Sonic stood behind his little brother as he turned the knob, and the door cautiously opened.

Tails walked into the room where he slept, with Sonic right behind him.

The two looked around the room in amazement as more memories came back to them. Sonic would often come here and give Tails some "occasionally playful" wake-up calls. Tails often sat in front of his desk for hours at a time, drawing sketches for his inventions.

Tails gazed at his old bed, which looked almost no different from the day he moved out. His old sheets, blankets and pillows still sat cutely on the mattress (Tails having brought new bed sheets for his Bygone home). The only real difference was a series of dust bunnies sitting on top of the blanket.

"You didn't take your old sheets with you?" said Sonic in astonishment.

"How could I have been able to?" said Tails, "Old memories like these? I'd much rather preserve something like that."

"I thought you had been keeping them in your closet on Bygone or something," added Sonic.

"Nah. You've seen those beds I have in my new house. They came with their own sheets and all that stuff," explained Tails, "At first I was gonna save the old bed for last, but when I found the cool new bed styles that the people at Bygone had to offer, I found that a bed like this was simply the past for me, although I wouldn't mind using it if I still had to."

With the memories still flowing in his head, Tails walked up to his former bed and sat down on his blanket. He blew the dust off the sheets and lied his head down on his old pillow.

"How does it feel, buddy?" asked Sonic, sitting on the bed next to Tails the way he always would.

Tails covered himself up in his old blankets and sighed in warm comfort.

"Feels like it was only yesterday," commented Tails, "It's still as relaxing as it ever has been."

Sonic gently patted his brother on the head and rested on top of him just like the old days.

"I feel as if I'm in the past," whispered Sonic.

"Me, too," sighed Tails, "Just like old times."

"Just like old times."

The two relaxed on the old bed for a few more minutes until Tails finally sat up and yawned as if he had just woken up from a nap.

The twin-tailed fox made his way to the desk, which sat in front of a very familiar window.

Sonic watched his little brother as he sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

"I used to do so much on this very desk," he recalled, "Many of my inventions started off from drawings which I drew on this desk."

He paused and looked at the window where the sunlight was breaking in.

"This window," he continued, "If there's one thing I can remember about this window, … than the sunlight that would break in and brighten up my drawings, … or the way it would wake me up in the morning, …"

Tails stopped again and remembered the most emotional time of his life. It had happened at the end of the Metarex War. He had lost the first romantic love of his life when she sacrificed herself to save the universe, and the fox was left heartbroken and depressed for many months after that, especially since he was the one who had to pull the trigger.

"Cosmo," he whispered as he leaked a tear from his right eye, which Sonic caught sight of.

The blue hedgehog stood up and walked over to the chair where Tails was sitting. He knew what that tear had fallen for.

"I used to care for Cosmo's seed on that windowsill. I miss watching the way the sun would shine on her. Everyday I would water her three times a day. Even after I got over my depression, I would never stop caring for her. Even today, I keep her plant in my new house on Bygone, because I will never stop loving her. I still water her three times a day when I'm home. Once in the morning after breakfast, once in the afternoon after lunch, and once in the evening before I go to bed."

"Which window in your new house do you keep her, buddy?" asked Sonic, hugging his brother.

"She now rests on the windowsill where you could gaze at the ocean. The sun shines over that window during the afternoon hours," explained Tails.

The memories of Cosmo briefly flashed in Tails' head. He remembered all the romantic times he had with her during their "sadly-brief" time together as love interests. Then he turned back to that fatal night that ended the Metarex War, when he reluctantly pulled the trigger to destroy Dark Oak and defeat the Metarex, which also involved killing his love. It left him torn up inside for a very long time. Finally, he remembered when Sonic handed him the seed that Cosmo had left behind, and it broke his young heart. He had placed that seed in a flowerpot the day they returned home, and the seed has been blooming in that same pot ever since, right up to this day.

Sonic gently hugged Tails from behind as the fox sniffled and allowed tears to pour from his eyes in remembrance of all the memories he had here. None could be more emotional to him than watching Cosmo's seed grow on the windowsill.

"I'm sorry, Sonic," said Tails in a sad voice, "Old memories coming back to me."

"It's okay, Tails. I know how emotional it can be to remember those memories," replied Sonic in a gentle whisper.

The hedgehog sat on the chair and set Tails on his lap. Then, together, the two hugged and cuddled each other lovingly as they relaxed in front of the old window that was an important part of Tails' young life. The hedgehog stroked the fox's hair from time to time, and Tails wrapped his twin tails around Sonic as they shared their most memorable moments in this old house where Tails used to call … "home".

"I love you, Sonic," whispered Tails.

"I love you, too, Tails," Sonic whispered back, planting a brotherly kiss on Tails' forehead, earning a happy grin from the fox as the tears continued to trickle down his face in remembrance of their most cherished memories.

"Just like old times," the two brothers whispered together before settling down into cuddly relaxation.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on Bygone Island, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks were chilling at Tails' "new" home, looking after the many things the fox now used here. The three all thought about Sonic and Tails, and how nice their vacation was going.

"I wonder how well their vacation's started off?" said Amy.

"We can only guess," replied Knuckles, "After all, they've only been gone for a few hours."

"I miss them already," said Sticks, "I began to miss them once they headed out the door."

"So do we, but at least we can be happy that they're having such a good time together, being the best of brothers," said Amy as she thought happily about them, "Sure, it's not easy being without them for a few days, but I'll bet they're out there somewhere, playing around and having a fun time."

"I'm gonna go check on the workshop," said Knuckles as he stood up and headed for the door, "I'll be right back."

"Okay, Knuckles," replied Amy as Knuckles left the living room through the front door.

The red echidna took a deep sigh to sink in the fresh scent of the outdoors.

"Ah, yes," he said relaxingly, "Nothing like a few minutes to get some fresh air and enjoy the sunshine."

As Knuckles made his way to the workshop, whistling a calm tune as he went, a small mechanical bug with red eyes was sitting on the ground directly ahead of his path, but it was too small for Knuckles to notice.

The bug then made one attempt to move out of the way, but it was too late …

Knuckles stepped right on the bug and smashed it to pieces, but the echidna took no notice. The sound of electrical cracks wouldn't reach his ears, either! Instead, Knuckles simply kept walking over to Tails' workshop to ensure that everything was alright.

The bug was in a million tiny pieces, many of them being too small to be seen without a microscope.

At that same moment, in Doctor Eggman's lair, the evil doctor was screaming furiously …

"NAAAOOOOO!" roared Eggman as he watched his red lens go static before blacking out permanently, "KNUCKLES, YOU COMPLETE IDIOT! YOU JUST HAD TO SPOIL MY FUN OF SPYING ON YOU!"

At that moment, Orbot and Cubot, having heard Eggman's screaming, blasted into the room in panic.

"Is something in need of fixing, boss?" asked Orbot.

"NO, THANK YOU! I HAVE PLENTY OF ROBOTS I CAN DEPLOY TO ATTACK THEM LATER! NOW GET OUT!" yelled Eggman.

Without hesitating, and in fear of being scrapped by their boss unless they didn't obey him immediately, Orbot and Cubot instantly turned around and left the room.

"This plan will not go without a fight, Team Sonic!" shouted Eggman as he walked aimlessly around the room, "Sonic or no Sonic, I'll get my hands on you fools soon! REAL SOON!"

No one heard but him.

* * *

_**So, Sonic and Tails' vacation gets off to a happy and emotional start. I really couldn't think of anything better than this. It's always nice to go back and visit the past for a day.**_

_**College is trying to drive me crazy this semester, but I'm trying to hang in there, which I'll have to keep doing for the next 3 ½ months.**_

_**Anyways, have a nice Saturday, and I'll see you hopefully soon with the next chapter of Sonic and Tails' wonderful vacation! :)**_


	5. Station Square: Welcome back to the city

_**Well, it's the first of February, and I think I'll start off this month with more SonTails brotherly stuff with this next chapter of their cuddly vacation! :D**_

_**Let more nostalgia be brought into this Sonic Boom-style story!**_

* * *

"How's the workshop?" asked Amy as she noticed Knuckles returning to Tails' living room.

"The workshop's AOK," replied Knuckles with a grin of confidence, "Not a single place left where Tails didn't leave it."

"That's good," said Amy, "I think Tails is lucky that he has friends like us that he can trust while he's away from home."

"Or when we're together as a team fighting evil," added Knuckles.

"Or when he's on a vacation with Sonic," finished Sticks, pulling a glass cup from the cupboard and filling it with juice from the refrigerator.

"Yeah," sighed Amy.

"I could swear I thought I stepped on something very small on my way to the workshop," said Knuckles, suddenly remembering something that had happened many moments ago.

"Really?" asked Amy curiously.

"Yeah," recalled Knuckles, "It was just outside the front door."

The red echidna stepped back outside, with Amy and Sticks following him.

The trio searched the grounds of Tails' place, and it didn't take long for them to find pieces of what Knuckles had stepped on.

"What is this?" asked Amy.

"It can't be one of Eggman's evil plots, man!" assumed Sticks, feeling ready to panic.

"Or it could be one of Tails' tiny tools he may have dropped," guessed Amy, "Maybe he dropped it during his stressful period last week."

"Lemme take a closer look at it first before we jump to any conclusions," said Knuckles as he crouched down and picked up one of the bigger pieces.

The echidna held the piece in his hand and looked through every edge and every side, … until he found Eggman's symbol emblazoned on one side.

"Well, ladies, if it's one of Eggman's evil plots, then I may have just foiled him," concluded Knuckles.

"Eggman!?" the two girls shouted in panic.

"It was one of Eggman's bombs, I reckon," said Knuckles, "He may have tried to smuggle one here shortly after Sonic and Tails left."

"Then why didn't it explode when you stepped on it?" wondered Amy.

"Why didn't it explode even an hour after it was left there?" added Sticks.

"I don't know," replied Knuckles, "He probably wanted us to believe that it was one of Tails' gadgets. He may have expected one of us to sneak it into his workshop just so he could blow it up."

"Well, I guess that means we've got nothing to worry about," said Amy, sighing with relief.

"For now," put in Sticks, feeling unsure about their safety.

"Don't worry, Sticks," said Knuckles, "I'm sure everything will be just fine until the day they come back. Let's go back inside and watch some TV."

"Sure," replied Amy.

Having concluded that no more "Eggman" threats were on the loose, the trio walked back into the house and closed the door. Then, they sat down on the couch, and Amy turned on the TV with the remote.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Tails' old house at Mystic Ruins, Sonic and Tails had just spent a whole hour sitting together in front of Tails' old desk and window where Cosmo's plant used to be. Tails had constantly let tears fall down his cheeks as he thought of the memories he had in his old home, while Sonic never broke his hug with Tails for one moment as he lovingly embraced him and cuddled him tightly.

Eventually, the two brothers broke their hug and stood up from the old chair for the first time in over an hour. They stretched their limbs to get themselves some exercise from all that sitting around, then they held hands and took one last glimpse around Tails' old bedroom before putting their backpacks on.

"Well, … I guess this is goodbye to this room, … for now," sighed Tails in a depressed tone.

"I'm sure you may see this place again someday," replied Sonic, wrapping his right arm around Tails' back to comfort him.

"Yeah," said Tails softly.

"Come on, little buddy," said Sonic gently, "Let's head back out and visit another place we haven't seen in a while."

Together, the two brothers turned towards the door and finally left the bedroom where Tails' most emotional memories were kept.

As the duo walked downstairs, they once again almost choked on the dust and large cobwebs that hung from the ceiling above the stairs. Sonic coughed a few times while Tails once again let out a bad cough of dust.

"Man, this place has gotten so filthy since I left it!" said Tails before letting out another cough.

"Somebody call a professional cleaner!" added Sonic.

"I wish I could, but I don't live in this house anymore," replied Tails.

"Oh, yeah. Right," recalled Sonic.

The brothers made it down the stairs with one last cough before walking through the living room and to the front door.

"Fresh air? Much better than dusty air," joked Sonic.

Tails giggled at Sonic's joke as he opened the door and led Sonic out of the house before closing the door for, presumably, the last time.

The hedgehog looked on as the fox took one last glimpse at his old home before he turned back to Sonic and hugged him lovingly.

"Thank you so much, Sonic, … for bringing me here," said Tails happily as he hugged his big brother.

Sonic returned the hug and stroked Tails' hair.

"You're welcome, Tails," the hedgehog replied, "Besides, coming here was your idea!"

"D'aww, Sonic!" giggled Tails.

"Hey, you are one smart little brother, Tails!" said Sonic happily.

"And you're such an awesome big brother, Sonic!" replied Tails.

"Race ya to the train station!" said Sonic, and he instantly broke out of Tails' hug and sped away towards the mountain.

"Hey, come back here, bro!" shouted Tails as he grinned mischievously and spun his tails to propel himself off the ground.

The fox quickly sped over the grass, chasing Sonic, who was likely a mile ahead of him. He didn't care how far ahead he was. He was only just determined to catch him.

Sonic ran all the way up to the stairs of the train station, then he stopped and was about to start climbing up the steps, when Tails suddenly rushed in and stopped right in front of his brother with an evil grin, which caught Sonic by surprise.

"Whoa, buddy! You must've gotten a little crazy!" said Sonic as Tails removed his backpack, prompting Sonic to take his off, too.

Then, Tails grabbed Sonic, and the two brothers fell down and rolled over the grass multiple times, Tails clinging onto Sonic's shoulders the whole time they rolled.

Soon, they stopped rolling, with Tails lying on top of Sonic.

"Gotcha big time, big brother!" teased Tails.

The duo grinned mischievously at each other for a few seconds before Sonic wiggled his fingers on Tails' back, earning some giggles from the fox.

"Gahahahahehehehehe! Sohohonihihihic! Stahahahahop!" giggled Tails.

"Nah! I think I'll just play with my favorite little brother the way we used to when you were just a little fox!" teased Sonic playfully.

Tails could only laugh as Sonic continued to tickle his back, then the fox fought back by reaching for the hedgehog's muzzle and wiggling his fingers on it.

Sonic started giggling as he felt the ticklish sensations on his face.

"Tails! Nohohohohoho!" laughed Sonic.

"You tickle me, I'll tickle ya back!" teased Tails with an evil grin.

Then, the two rolled onto their sides and lied together on the grass, but they kept on tickling each other all over, laughing at each other while at it.

"Sohohohohonihihihic!" laughed Tails.

"Wehehehe might as weehehell be in a tickling wahahahar!" laughed Sonic.

They scrambled their hands all over each other, from their armpits and their legs, to their backs, their chests, and even their faces!

"I guarantee it wohohohohon't be evehehehehen!" teased Tails through laughter.

"Who knohohohows!?" said Sonic.

Finally, Sonic wrapped both arms around Tails' back just as the fox was about to go for the hedgehog's legs again. The hug trapped Tails' arms and tails in as Sonic leaned onto his back and held Tails on top of him, rendering the fox defenseless.

"I knew you'd be right about one thing, but it looks like I have the edge," teased Sonic.

Tails gave Sonic a nervous look, knowing what he was about to do.

"Ready for me to give you some real fun?" asked Sonic with a mischievous grin.

Tails could only shake his head and gulp, knowing there was no escape from what Sonic was about to do to him.

"Too bad for you, buddy! Time ta see how much fun you can really have with tickling!"

And with that, Sonic started tickling Tails' neck, wiggling his fingers around the very sensitive spots over his shoulders.

Tails shrieked in laughter as his big brother gave him what felt like … tickle torture! His body was shaking as he laughed so hard that he almost immediately lost his breath.

"NAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" yelled Tails in laughter, "GEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"We haven't had this much fun with your neck since you were just a small fox," commented Sonic, "Not since the time shortly after I took you in as my little bro."

Tails smiled through his laughter as he recalled the memories Sonic mentioned, although nowadays this felt a slight bit embarrassing compared to the past.

"I could do this all day!" said Sonic, "But I think it's best if I stop."

Sure enough, the hedgehog finally stopped tickling his brother's neck and allowed him to catch his breath. The fox panted heavily as the ticklish sensations threatened to bring him back to laughter, but he fought off the sensations and took several deep breaths before finally being able to form words again.

"I'm sorry, little buddy," said Sonic apologetically, "Did I take this a little too far?"

"Yeah, ya kinda did," answered Tails, "But it was still fun."

"I thought it was fun, too, pal," replied Sonic, "Haven't had that much fun since you were a toddler."

"Heh. Yeah," chuckled Tails, "Those times were fun, but even now, there's no brotherly vacation without fun."

"Heh. Ya got that right, buddy," said Sonic.

Tails wrestled himself up onto his feet to allow Sonic back up, then the two slammed their fists together as they would after winning a fight against Eggman.

"C'mon, buddy. Let's head up and catch the next train to Station Square," said Sonic as he led his little brother up the stairs to the train station, grabbing their backpacks off the ground on the way up.

Sure enough, only moments later, a bullet train rushed up to the end of the track and came to a stop on the platform.

"_Mystic Ruins to SS Central Station," _said a computerized voice.

"Well, buddy, looks like our timing was impeccable," commented Sonic as he and Tails slid their backpacks back on.

"Can't wait to see the city again. It's been a while," said Tails as the train's doors slid open.

The brothers walked through the doorway and boarded the train. They looked around and saw just a few other people in the seating area.

"Not too bad," commented Tails as he walked over to one of the middle seating areas, followed by Sonic.

The duo sat next to each other opposite a man who was reading a newspaper. Then, the doors closed, and the train started on its way to SS Central Station.

In no time, the cabin lights came on as the train zoomed into a long tunnel that went through the mountain.

"Just riding this brings back memories, too," whispered Tails.

"Me, too," replied Sonic.

"I'm sure it does," said the man with the newspaper, having heard their whispers.

Sonic and Tails looked at the man just as he was folding his newspaper.

The man was wearing a brown suit with a red tie. The wrinkles on his face made him look like he was in his sixties. He wore glasses, and his hair was a mixture of gray and light brown.

"You're those two famous heroes, aren't ya?" said the man, recognizing Sonic and Tails, "Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower?"

"Uh, yes, we are," answered Tails.

"I've been wondering when I'd meet you," said the man, "It's a real pleasure."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet someone who's supported us for many years," replied Sonic.

"I feel honored," added Tails, smiling brightly.

"I'm sure the people in the city will be delighted to see you again," the man continued, "Even now, they still support you just as much as they did while you were living here."

"That's very nice," said Sonic as he and Tails smiled at each other.

"Where did you say you're living now?" asked the man.

"We live on Bygone Island now," answered Tails.

"I guess that's where you got all that sports tape," commented the man.

"And this nice brown bandana," added Sonic, looking down at his neck.

"And a cool new belt and tool strap," said Tails, "And even the fanciest goggles I've ever laid my eyes on!"

"I will admit you look cuter wearing goggles than you do with nothing on your forehead," confessed the man.

That earned a big blush from Tails, along with some cute giggles.

Roughly a moment later, the windows were suddenly flooding with reflected lights as the tunnel ended and the SS Central Station came into view just before the train slowed to a stop.

"_SS Central Station" _spoke the computerized voice in the train system as the doors opened.

"Well, I guess this is our stop," said the man as he stood up and held the folded newspaper in his hand.

"Yep," said Sonic, "Good old Station Square."

The three all walked off the train and stepped onto the platform of the station. For Sonic and Tails, this was the first time they stepped foot on Station Square ground in a couple of years.

"I wonder how much of this place has been repaired since Perfect Chaos wrecked it?" said Sonic in his curiosity.

"Sure looks like it's been coming back to life," replied Tails as he gazed at their surroundings.

The station looked as good as new, and there appeared to be hundreds of people scattered around the station, looking as if it was a typical day of business.

"I think this place looks just as it was the first time we ever came here," said Sonic.

"It sure does," agreed Tails as he and his brother left the platform and began walking around the station.

The two listened and heard some music on the loudspeakers that was strange to their ears.

The music sounded like eighties synthesized electronic pop music, which these two were not very familiar with. It was on the base note of F-minor, with a slightly high pitch adjustment.

Then came some lyrics which they somehow found fitting for them:

"_For all of that time I've been crazy, there is no escape._

_Come back to the city, come back in the hotel and wait._

_The city waits forever."_

"What a coincidence, what I've just heard from that voice," whispered Sonic in Tails' ear.

"Yeah," agreed Tails with crossed eyes, "As if they were begging us to come back here at least once."

"Maybe," said Sonic.

The two walked around the station for a little bit, wanting to wait for the song to end in case the DJ told them what the song title was and who did it.

Just as they were approaching the door, after a few guitars, the song ended, and the brothers stopped to listen to the loudspeakers.

"That was another eighties European favorite. 'Call It Love' by Yello from 1987. Undoubtedly the best to come from Switzerland," said the DJ, "We'll have more of the eighties coming up in a bit on 88.8, Station Eighties!"

"Okay. Yello," said Sonic, having heard the DJ, "We should look them up once we're finished with our vacation."

"We should. No wonder I'm not familiar with that music," said Tails, "I thought it was okay, though. I really liked the high-pitched keyboard chords."

"Too bad we only listened to probably half the song," said Sonic.

"Ah, well," said Tails, shrugging his shoulders.

"How's about we head outside and see the city?" asked Sonic as he offered Tails' his hand.

Tails gripped on Sonic's hand and sidestepped right next to him as close as they could get to each other.

"I'd be delighted, big bro," the fox replied with a big grin.

Sonic returned the grin and walked with his little brother through the door and out into the open city area.

The city looked not only improved from the time Perfect Chaos wrecked the place, but it even looked as if it had somewhat grown.

"Wow. They not only cleaned this place up, but it looks even bigger than before," commented Tails.

"They must have done a good job with it, too," agreed Sonic.

There were more people in the city than ever before … and more cars, which meant a big rush of traffic flowing around the place.

"I am so astounded that they were able to get this place running again," said Sonic.

As the two heroes walked through the city streets, many people either greeted them with delight or politely waved at them, letting the duo know that even today they missed having them here.

The more people greeted them, the more often Sonic and Tails smiled at each other in happiness.

"It sure feels like the old days again, doesn't it?" said Tails.

"It sure does, pal," said Sonic, stroking Tails' muzzle, earning a giggle from the young fox.

Many memories came back to their heads as they strolled around the city, such as Tails defusing a bomb and Sonic's hangouts in the hotel.

Even now, as Bygone Island residents, they still felt as welcome in Station Square as they ever had.

Eventually, after about half an hour of endless walking around the city, the two heroes found the now-rebuilt-and-enhanced hotel.

"Wanna take a chill by the pool?" asked Sonic.

"Sure!" answered Tails excitedly.

The two heroes ran from the sidewalk over to the hotel's patio in an instant with their sonic running speed.

The Chao Garden looked even prettier than before, and the pool was now big enough for about a hundred people.

Sonic tried to stay as far away from the pool as possible on his way to some fancy reclining chairs due to his fear of water. Then, the brothers took off their backpacks, and Sonic took a seat on a nice blue reclining chair, while Tails, by coincidence, found an orange chair right next to it, and sat down next to his brother.

Finally, to make things even more relaxing, they opened their backpacks and each pulled out a pair of sunglasses to shield their eyes from the sunlight that shone above the patio. Then, they each grabbed a can of soda from their backpacks and opened them.

"Ah, yes," sighed Sonic, "Nothing like a chill on the hotel patio."

"You said it, bro," agreed Tails, "Cheers to a very relaxing vacation!"

"Cheers to a very brotherly vacation!" added Sonic.

The brothers tipped their cans and each took a sip of their sodas before they sat back in their chairs to relax themselves as they soaked in the sunshine.

A majority of the swimmers in the pool recognized them and waved to them excitedly. The duo waved back and saluted them.

This was turning out to be a great vacation for Sonic and Tails so far, … indeed!

* * *

_**So, first Mystic Ruins, and now we see Station Square! I told ya more nostalgia was coming! XD**_

_**Well, I really spent a lot of time writing this chapter, although I'm not surprised. I really wanted to put a lot of effort on this particular chapter, and I sure hope it's paid off!**_

_**So five down, and probably still many more to come! Stay tuned for more chapters, and likely more Sonic nostalgia coming up throughout the week!**_

_**See ya in chapter six! ;)**_


	6. Sonic X Night: A fox's memorable moment

_**Wanna see more vacationing? More nostalgia? More brotherly fun? You got it!**_

_**Let's begin with even more suspense back at home! :O**_

* * *

Nighttime had fallen. The skies were littered with stars as the moon dimly lit Bygone Island. Nearly all of the residents had fallen asleep for the night, but over at Tails' house, things were still pretty active.

Knuckles was walking around Tails' house and workshop as if he was guarding it from anymore of Eggman's possible threats in case one did pose a return. Amy and Sticks were inside the house, sharing a bowl of grapes. They had worn themselves out with TV during the afternoon hours, and now they were stocking up on food before going to bed for the night.

"Sure has been a decent first night here with Sonic and Tails away," commented Amy.

"Yeah," agreed Sticks tiredly, "Nighttime really does give this place a whole different feeling."

"Just a few dim lights in the kitchen and the bathroom," noted Amy, "The rest of the place is as nice as it can be during the night. It makes it feel like a one-room hotel."

The two each picked another grape from the bowl, then …

Suddenly, they heard a branch crack outside the house.

"What was that?" asked Sticks, "Evil's on the loose again!"

"Oh, Sticks, you gotta learn to stop being so paranoid," said Amy.

"I'm not being paranoid!" panicked Sticks, "Something is out there."

"Probably just Knuckles messing around," assumed Amy.

"Uh, … girls?" came Knuckles' voice, proving Amy's assumption wrong.

The two girls stood up and ran over to the front door where Knuckles was standing just outside, staring into the jungle.

"What is it, Knuckles?" asked Amy.

"I think I saw something big hiding in those trees," answered Knuckles with worried eyes.

"I knew it! Eggman's coming back! We gotta get outta here!" yelled Sticks.

"And leave Tails' house unprotected!?" argued Knuckles.

"If Eggman were to launch an attack on us, there's no way it could happen in the middle of the night," said Amy.

But once again, she was wrong …

The trio turned back to the door, only to find it blocked by a familiar figure, familiar by BAD means.

"EGGMAN!?" they all shouted in shock.

"Well, good evening, gang," greeted Eggman with an evil smile, "I see you're having quite a good hangout without a few certain others around."

"Leader or no leader, we still have easy chances against you, Eggman!" said Knuckles, warming up his fists.

Amy pulled out her Piko Piko Hammer, while Sticks took out her boomerang. All three of them posed threatening glares at their enemy.

Eggman simply laughed evilly.

"You think you'll stand a chance against me, … with Sonic and Tails being on vacation!?" teased Eggman.

This caught the trio by surprise. They couldn't possibly figure out why Eggman found out that Sonic and Tails were away.

"How would you think that!?" said Knuckles furiously.

"Easy. I spied on them talking about it last night, then I watched them leave this morning with my spy bug, … before you stepped on it!" said Eggman, pointing to Knuckles.

"So, … it wasn't a bomb I stepped on," said Knuckles to himself, in disappointment.

"Of course it wasn't, you nincompoop!" replied Eggman, "You did nothing to stop me from hatching my latest scheme!"

The three all looked at Eggman with shocked looks.

"After I heard that Sonic and Tails were taking a vacation, I decided to take advantage of them being gone, so that I would get my hands on you, knowing you'd be helpless without your leader at the helm!"

"We are not helpless!" Amy shot out.

"Oh, yeah!? Prove it!" said Eggman, crossing his arms.

Amy charged her hammer at Eggman, only for a robot to suddenly appear behind the heroes and lift Amy off the ground.

"AMY!" yelled Knuckles and Sticks in shock.

They turned to Eggman.

"LET HER GO!" demanded Sticks.

"Nope!" replied Eggman, "ROBOTS! TAKE THEM TO MY ISLAND FORTRESS!"

Several more robots arrived on the scene, and they grabbed Knuckles and Sticks before they had any time to react. The three heroes were squeezed in the grasp of their enemy's minions.

"LET US GO, YOU BIG HUNKS OF METAL!" screamed Knuckles furiously.

"I ONLY OBEY MY MASTER!" replied the robot who held Knuckles.

"AND NOW, WITH ALL OF YOU OUT OF THE WAY, I CAN TAKE OVER BYGONE ISLAND AT LAST!" announced Eggman joyously.

"DON'T THINK IT'LL BE SO EASY FOR YOU ONCE SONIC AND TAILS COME BACK AND FIND THIS PLACE IN RUINS!" screamed Amy.

"THEY'LL FIND US AND KICK YOUR BUTT!" added Sticks.

"Oh, don't you worry! I've already summoned some of my other robots to track them down and eliminate them!" said Eggman with an evil snicker.

"YOU IDIOT!" yelled Sticks.

"Oh, Sonic, Tails. Please come back soon! Please!" begged Knuckles to no one in particular.

The robots who held the heroes captive all lifted themselves off the ground and began their flight back to Eggman's lair.

"And now, to start taking over this island, where should I start?" Eggman asked himself as he watched Knuckles, Amy and Sticks being taken away to his lair.

* * *

Somewhere far away from all of that mayhem, Sonic and Tails were settling into a room at the Station Square hotel. After they had spent about half of an hour in the patio during the afternoon, several hotel employees who recognized them offered them to stay for the night for free as a token from all the times the duo helped Station Square, an offer which the two heroic brothers couldn't refuse.

As Tails shut their door for the night, the only lights in the room came from the lamp by their bed, and the HD TV playing nonstop "Sonic X" TV episodes.

"They really know how to treat us to a fancy hotel stay, don't they?" commented Sonic as Tails sat next to him on their shared bed.

"They sure do," the fox agreed, "Nice air conditioning, plenty of warm greetings from everyone in the city, lots of food varieties to stock on and, best of all, a never ending marathon of Sonic X!"

"Not to mention, all the chili dogs!" added Sonic, earning a giggle from Tails.

The fox removed his goggles, shoulder strap and waist belt, and set them on the nightstand on his side of the bed before taking off his gloves, shoes and socks and setting them on the floor.

Sonic also took off his brown bandanna, gloves, shoes and socks and placed them in front of his nightstand.

"Ah, yes. It's so nice and warm in here," sighed Tails as his feet felt some warm sensations from the room's air conditioning.

"I really like it in here," replied Sonic, "It's just so relaxing to be watching Sonic X in a dimly lit hotel room with very respectful room service."

"I really miss those anime days," said Tails, "Those were fun."

"Yeah, they sure were," agreed Sonic.

The two turned to the TV, just in time to hear _Eggman say, "So long, Station Square!" just before leaving in his Egg Mobile with an evil laugh. Then, they showed a large missile flying over the city._

_Tails then flew after it, shouting, "What was that thing!?"_

_The fox hovered and peeked over a building. Then, he spotted the missile getting ready to land on the city._

"_Oh, no!" he yelled._

_People screamed and panicked as the missile came down and crashed._

Then, the screen faded into a commercial break.

"I think I remember that one vividly," said Tails, "It's been in my head over the last few hours ever since we arrived here on the train."

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll be looking at what I think was your best moment in the whole series after these lousy commercials get outta the way," replied Sonic.

While the first commercial played, the two brothers held hands and grinned at each other.

"It sure has been a nice start to this vacation, Sonic," said Tails happily.

"I'm so glad it's been enjoyable so far, buddy," said Sonic, "I'm glad I could get you out of that workshop for a few days."

"Strange that it's only the first night away from home, and here we are, enjoying each other in the best way we ever have," added Tails.

Sonic wrapped an arm around Tails' back and cuddled his brother in a warm embrace. The fox sat on his brother's right knee and cuddled into him.

"Just you wait and see, little pal," said Sonic softly, "The next few days are gonna be very enjoyable for us. Today was only the beginning of it all; visiting your old home and spending the night in a place we used to enjoy so much."

Tails smiled at Sonic and nuzzled his face, earning a light giggle from the hedgehog. Then, the fox wrapped an arm around Sonic's back.

"You're such a wonderful brother, Sonic," whispered Tails.

"You're such a wonderful brother, too, Tails," replied Sonic in a whisper.

The duo held their free hands together and playfully nuzzled each others' faces.

Sonic then wiggled a finger on Tails' white-furred chest, making him giggle in ticklishness, … just before the last commercial ended.

"Oh, the show's back on," said Sonic, catching Tails' attention.

The two watched the screen as _Eggman's missile was revealed to have landed on a highway. People were panicking in fear that the missile would blow up any second and destroy Station Square._

_Tails then flew in to investigate._

"_It looks like no one was hurt," said Tails just before Bokkun appeared._

"_Now, listen up! I got a message, and it's from Eggman, so you folks better listen good!" shouted Bokkun as he pulled out a monitor revealing Eggman._

"_Well, well, I hope you all enjoyed my surprise. I had a blast putting it together, and you'll have a blast in about two minutes, when my missile goes off!" announced Eggman._

_The civilians all panicked and ran towards a building behind them._

"_And now, my trusty assistant, Bokkun, will begin the final countdown! Bokkun?" Eggman continued._

"_Uh, countdown!?" said Bokkun in confusion._

"_Start counting!" ordered Eggman as the monitor blacked out._

"_Okay! 120, 119."_

"_If Sonic were here, he'd know what to do," said Tails with a worried look on his face._

_An image of Sonic appeared in his head, saying, "Hey, no sweat, pal!"_

_The civilians all looked at Tails, making him more confused than ever._

"_What are you all looking at me for? There's nothing I can do about this," sighed Tails, "I wish."_

_He looked away._

"_He'd say I should try. He'd say I could do anything I tried!"_

_Finally, he came to his decision …_

"_Alright! I'll give it my best shot! Here goes!" he said determinedly before flying up to the bomb._

_Meanwhile, Cream, Ella, Mr. Tanaka and Chuck Thorndyke were watching the news report on live television, when some surprise words came …_

"_It looks as though Tails is attempting to defuse the bomb!"_

_Tails opened the wiring system and pulled out a screwdriver._

"_If I could only figure out which is the right one," he said to himself with sweat running down his face, "If I cut the wrong one, this thing will detonate."_

_He turned to Bokkun, who was still annoyingly counting down the seconds._

"_But I, … I don't have much time."_

_He turned back to the wires and sighed, feeling lost in confusion. He closed his eyes and thought back at when he first met Sonic on Westside Island._

"_Sonic!" he groaned._

_The next shot showed Tails walking alone on Westside Island with a broken gadget in his hand. Tears were streaming from his eyes. Then, he noticed Sonic._

"_Sonic's always been there for me," said Tails in his thoughts, "He's taught me so much, but maybe now it's time I learned to stand on my own two feet."_

_The flashback ended as Tails once again concentrated on the bomb._

"_I know a lot of technical stuff. I should be able to disarm this thing in no time!"_

_The fox continued to examine the wiring system._

"_Now, let's see. It can't be that one," he said before turning his eyes to a red wire, "I got it!"_

_Tails cut the red wire, and Bokkun stopped counting down and gasped in shock._

"_HUH!?" yelled Bokkun._

"_I DID IT!" shouted Tails happily as the people below started cheering for him._

_The fox was very surprised to see all of those people cheering for him, but he also felt very proud of it, too._

"_Thanks, everyone!" he chuckled before Bokkun tapped on his shoulder, receiving his attention, "What is it?"_

_Bokkun shook Tails' hand before leaving him._

"_Thanks!" shouted Tails, waving at Bokkun._

"_Yeah? Well, you just wait til I tell Doctor Eggman! HMPH!" yelled Bokkun angrily before flying away._

_Tails paused for a few seconds as he contemplated his thoughts._

"_I really did it, didn't I?" said Tails before the scene changed to Knuckles, Big and Chris crash landing the X Tornado near Mystic Ruins._

Tails turned the TV volume down as Sonic pulled him in closer and hugged him.

"Heh. You really did have your best moment on that day," commented Sonic.

Tails blushed and chuckled, "Hehe! Thanks, Sonic. All I needed that day was determination."

"And it paid off. You remembered everything I taught you, and it all worked out. Your strong heart and brilliant mind saved a lot of people that day," added Sonic.

"That memory was in my head ever since we left the train station this afternoon," said Tails.

"Well, I guess this was the perfect night to see it again!" said Sonic, pulling Tails into a tight hug.

The hedgehog wrapped both arms tightly around the fox's chest, pinning his arms and twin tails in, then he wiggled his fingers on Tails' chest and legs.

"Naahahahahahahahahahahaha!" giggled Tails cutely in ticklishness, "Sonic! Stahahahahahop!"

"Let's see how ticklish your feet are tonight! We never got to tickle them at the Mystic Ruins station," said Sonic.

Tails' eyes grew wide as he heard those words, but before he could react, Sonic was already wiggling his orange toes playfully.

"No! NO! NAAOO! EEEKEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Tails as his toes instantly shook him into extreme ticklishness.

It was quite clear, Tails' toes were his most ticklish spot of all.

"Now I can consider our first vacation day complete!" chuckled Sonic, "We've had lots of fun, we've visited your old home, we're spending the night at Station Square, we've watched Sonic X, and now we've got to see how ticklish you really are!"

Tails could only laugh as he had lost his breath from the tickle torture on his feet.

Sensing that Tails was running out of breath, Sonic stopped tickling his feet.

The fox panted as he tried to regain his breath.

"Sorry, little buddy, but I just had to do that," apologized Sonic, "I couldn't go without having it during our vacation."

Tails took a few deep breaths and replied, "I figured it was coming sooner or later."

"So you did?" said Sonic.

"But I was only beginning to think it would be nice if it happened during these few days we have to ourselves, … together," finished Tails.

"Aww, you're a sweet little fox, Tails," replied Sonic gently, hugging his little brother even tighter.

"That's a little tight, Sonic," said Tails, his voice sounding slightly weak from the squeezing hug.

"Sorry 'bout that, bud," said Sonic.

"It's okay, pal," replied Tails, his voice quickly returning to normal, "You're a sweet hedgehog, too."

The two brothers wiggled their toes together as they cuddled into each other comfortably on their bed.

"Wanna call it a night with this, buddy?" asked Sonic, looking at the TV, still playing Sonic X.

"I guess I can wait a little longer before seeing some more of those episodes I haven't seen in a while," answered Tails.

"Okay, buddy. I have nothing against that, even if it means staying up all night and getting no sleep," said Sonic.

"Again," replied Tails, remembering when Eggman crashed on his couch for a few days on Bygone Island just so he could tire him and Sonic to exhaustion.

"Yeah," sighed Sonic.

"I'll go ahead and turn it off," said Tails, grabbing the remote, "In fact, we can go to some video store tomorrow and see if there are any DVDs they have of that series."

"If they do, we can get the whole bunch," chuckled Sonic.

"Yeah!" giggled Tails, "We'll get all seventy-eight episodes if we can."

"Sounds like a plan, buddy," said Sonic, "First thing we do tomorrow after we have breakfast here at the hotel, we'll head over to the video store and find those DVDs, then once we head back home, you can place them in that rather small collection of yours."

"I will," replied Tails happily.

The fox pressed the 'power' button on the remote, and the TV turned off.

"That show will be a great thing to watch once we go home," said Tails as he put the remote down and turned to face Sonic on the bed.

The hedgehog grabbed the edge of the blankets and pulled them in, covering the two brothers all the way up to their necks. Then, they continued hugging each other as they began to slowly fall asleep.

"I love you, Sonic," whispered Tails in a tired voice.

"I love you, too, Tails," replied Sonic.

Tails yawned as he hugged Sonic one more time before closing his eyes.

"Sweet dreams, pal," whispered Sonic.

"Sweet dreams, bud," said Tails in a weak response.

"Goodnight, Tails."

"Goodnight, Sonic."

The hedgehog watched as his fox brother drifted off to sleep, then he yawned silently and fell asleep, himself.

Together, the brothers slept cutely on the bed, dreaming sweetly about the many things they planned to do later on their 'brotherly' vacation.

* * *

_**What a perfect way for them to end their first day of their brotherly vacation, but it looks like things back home aren't quite going very well. :O**_

_**I couldn't resist bringing Sonic X back for once, even if this is supposed to be Sonic Boom. Mind as well make it a crossover between the two! HA!**_

_**Well, that's all for today. See ya later once we get to "Day Two" of Sonic and Tails' brotherly vacation!**_

_**Cheerio!**_


	7. A lovely morning in Station Square

_**Hey! I'm back after a partially stressful test in college, and I'm ready to bring you "Day Two" of this relaxing vacation! :D**_

_**Time to get a little more relaxed with this second day, … well, at least for those two brothers.**_

* * *

A new day was dawning over Bygone Island. The sun was rising beautifully on the eastern horizon, there was no cloud to be seen anywhere in the sky, and life on the island still felt very peaceful.

But it didn't stay peaceful for long …

Many of the villagers had woken up to the sounds of trampling trees. To them, it usually meant a sign of danger threatening to eliminate them.

A few inhabitants left their houses to investigate where the sounds were coming from, until they looked up and found themselves staring face-to-face with gigantic robots! Only one thing could be assumed after looking at these metal monstrosities …

"Eggman is back!" screamed a beaver.

Hearing such words like those brought terror to all who heard them. They knew Eggman was so dangerous that they would be helpless without Sonic and his team being there to help them.

"Whoever is going to save us, they had better come fast!" yelled a weasel.

"Actually, it's _whomever_ is going to save us," corrected Fastidious Beaver, who was standing right next to the panicking weasel.

Roughly a moment later, the Egg Mobile flew into the village and appeared before the very eyes of the terrified villagers.

The evil scientist then revealed himself with a horrific laugh.

"SURPRISE!" Eggman roared, "I HAVE SOME DELIGHTFUL NEWS FOR YOU! YOU'RE GOING TO BE MY LAIR GUESTS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS!"

"As long as Sonic's around, you won't be able to harm us!" yelled another weasel.

Eggman simply laughed again, knowing that their arguments would be pointless.

"I'M AFRAID SONIC IS NOT AROUND TO SAVE YOU THIS TIME! HE'S ON VACATION WITH HIS FOX FRIEND, AND I HAVE THE REST OF THEM ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF!"

"What will Sonic do when he comes back and finds that we're all captives of yours!?" screamed another beaver.

"WHAT IF HE DOESN'T!? I'VE SUMMONED SOME SPECIAL ROBOTS OF MINE TO ASSASSINATE THEM BEFORE THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO RETURN HOME!" replied Eggman with a disturbingly evil smile, "ROBOTS, SEIZE THEM!"

Ten more robots revealed themselves by tearing through trees to surround the entire village, leaving the inhabitants with nowhere to run.

"SOON, THIS WHOLE ISLAND WILL BE MINE, AND WITH SONIC AND HIS FRIENDS OUT OF THE WAY, IT'S JUST TOO EASY! AAAAH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAA!" said Eggman before leaving the village in his Egg Mobile.

Despite the numerous attempts by the inhabitants to evacuate the village, not a single one could stand a chance at escaping Eggman's giant robots.

"I can't wait to start my new business in making them my slaves!" said Eggman to himself as he watched the villagers all being kidnapped by his robots, "I'll have more robots ready to treat them to a miserable lifetime of suffering and exhaustion! Best of all? SONIC WILL NEVER KNOW! AAAH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAAAA!"

* * *

Meanwhile, far away at Station Square, Sonic and Tails were just waking up from a good night's sleep together on their shared bed in the hotel. The sunrise brightly lit up their room and nearly shone right down on their eyes, which was enough to bring them out of their sleep.

The hedgehog sat up and yawned as he stretched his arms. Then, he looked to his left and saw Tails, still sleeping cutely, … or, at least, he was trying to, but the sunlight was sinking into his eyes and slowly hindering him to wake up.

Sonic thought Tails looked very cute the way he slept. It put a broad grin on his face just watching him sleep, but he knew it couldn't last much longer. This was their time to wake up and get ready for the day ahead.

"Hey, Tails. Time ta get up, bud," said Sonic gently as he pat Tails' back.

Tails groaned softly as he twitched onto his back.

"Tails?" whispered Sonic, "Tails, are ya up, buddy?"

Convinced that this wasn't enough to wake up Tails, Sonic leaned down and stroked the hair on Tails' forehead.

The fox giggled softly as some ticklish sensations rendered him out of his sleep.

"Time to wake up, little buddy," chuckled Sonic, "We got a big day ahead of us."

"Sohohohonihihihic!" giggled Tails as he opened an eye and shook from the ticklishness on his head.

"Wake up, my little sleepyhead," said Sonic playfully as he went for the gap between Tails' two eyes, just above his nose.

The fox opened his other eye and looked at Sonic, who was still playfully wiggling his fingers all over his face.

"Are ya up yet, bro?" asked Sonic in a playful chuckle.

"Yehehehes! I'm up!" laughed Tails, "Staahahahahahop!"

Tails finally sat up and stretched his arms, yawning in the process while shaking off his ticklishness.

Sonic wrapped an arm around Tails' back and pulled him in for a brotherly cuddle.

"Good morning, lil' bro," said Sonic happily.

"Good morning, big bro," replied Tails cutely as he returned the cuddle by hugging Sonic.

"Did you have sweet dreams, buddy?" asked Sonic.

"Oh, I sure did!" answered Tails with a big grin, "How about you, pal?"

"Had dreams about what we could do once we get outside and enjoy the fresh air," replied Sonic.

"Heh. That sounds awesome!" said Tails, "So did I!"

"Come on, bud. Let's get ourselves cleaned up and ready for the new day," said Sonic.

"Okay, bud," replied Tails.

The two brothers jumped out of bed and stretched their limbs to warm themselves up.

"You can take the first shower, bud," said Sonic.

"Thanks, Sonic," replied Tails as he briefly hugged his brother before walking into the bathroom.

"You're welcome, Tails," said Sonic as his little brother stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.

As Sonic waited for Tails to shower himself, he pondered many thoughts about what to do on this fine day. Of course, their video store plan was still in mind, as they wanted to get the entire Sonic X collection! The real question was what they would do after they walked out of the video store. There were many places Sonic wanted to take his little brother while they still had at least a few more days before heading home. All Sonic needed to do was to make sure Tails could spend enough time away from his work to regain his composure and self-confidence. The hedgehog knew what ingredients were still missing, and if those ingredients were found, then he knew that little fox could do anything!

Eight more minutes went by before Tails stepped out of the bathroom, his fur looking very sparkly clean.

"Wow, Tails! You really can turn yourself into a sparkle in no time!" commented Sonic.

"Let's see how fast you can do it!" replied Tails playfully.

"Okay, then!" said Sonic, "I'll see if I can go for five minutes!"

Before Tails could respond, Sonic instantly sped into the bathroom and shut the door as fast as a blink of an eye.

Once he heard the shower running again, Tails sat on the bed and pulled out his belongings. He started by pulling his socks onto his feet, then he put his shoes on over them.

As the fox reached for his gloves, he paused briefly and thought about what he and Sonic could do once they left the video store. He knew that if Sonic had planned this vacation then he would likely have many special things in mind. Yesterday had already felt very special for Tails. He had seen his old house, he had seen Station Square, he had watched his best "Sonic X" moment, and he had spent the night at the Station Square hotel. If that could all happen in one day, then today could be just as special as yesterday.

Tails slipped his hands into his gloves, then he picked up his waist belt and shoulder strap, and he wrapped the belt around his waist, tightening it so that it wouldn't fall off, then he wrapped the strap over his left shoulder and tightened it securely. Finally, he grabbed his goggles and placed them on his forehead just over his hair.

A moment later, the sound of the shower stopped, indicating that Sonic was finished.

No sooner did that happen when the blue hedgehog opened the door and stepped back into the bedroom, looking as clean as he had been all vacation long!

"How long was that?" asked Sonic, wanting to know if his five-minute bet had paid off.

Tails looked at the clock. It read 8:12 AM, and he remembered that it was 8:08 AM when he first walked in.

"Four minutes," said Tails, "That was an 'almost didn't'."

"I guess I really can take lucky guesses," commented Sonic as he walked over to the bed and put his socks and shoes on.

Tails stood up and stretched his arms a little more while Sonic put on his gloves and wrapped his brown bandanna around his neck.

"Okay, buddy. Time to hit the cafe!" said Sonic.

The two brothers grabbed their backpacks and strapped them over their shoulders.

"I can't wait to see what they have down there!" said Tails excitedly.

Sonic wrapped an arm around Tails' back and cuddled him in brotherly love as they walked out of their bedroom together and sprinted down the hallway on their way down to the cafeteria.

Once the brothers reached the cafeteria on the ground floor and walked in, they were astounded by the beautiful looks.

The walls were painted in a glorious shade of red, the tables were handsomely decorated with orange tablecloths, and the windows provided plenty of sunlight to brighten up the whole cafeteria!

"I haven't seen such a beautiful cafe before," said Tails as he gazed around with wide eyes of wonder.

"Well, you can't say that anymore," replied Sonic.

The two brothers looked at each other and smiled, then they walked up to the register where the large menu hung overhead from the ceiling.

The duo browsed through the selections on the menu, and they were instantly astounded.

Waffles, pancakes, bacon, sausage, coffee, cereal, … etc.

**(A/N: I'm not gonna name everything on there. I'd probably make you readers so hungry! LOL!)**

"I wonder if they serve any of this in chili flavor?" said Sonic, trying to keep his tongue in his mouth to hide the fact that the menu was making him so hungry.

Just then, their attention was caught by someone else …

"Good morning, you two famous heroes," said a woman standing behind the cash register, "Anything I can get you today?"

The two brothers snapped out of their trances and grinned at the cashier.

"Sure," said Sonic, "I'd wonder if you serve anything in chili flavor."

The cashier looked at a small list of foods that was kept next to the register, then she turned back to Sonic.

"The only breakfast food we serve in chili flavor is sausage. If you'd like some chili-flavored sausage, you're very welcome to try it," she said with a smile.

Sonic was soon falling into another dreamy trance of chili. Just talking about it made his head spin. He could never love any food more then chili, even if it weren't a 'chili dog'. Anything with chili could satisfy him.

"I'll have a couple foot-long chili sausages," the hedgehog replied, snapping back to reality once again.

"Sure thing," said the cashier, then she turned to Tails, "And how about you, kid?"

Tails looked over the menu and pondered over his possibilities. As much as he loved mint, he was disappointed that mint wasn't a common breakfast thing, but other than that, he also loved chocolate.

"Hmm, I'll go with some of whatever chocolatey cereal you have to offer," the fox said with a cute grin.

"We have Cocoa Rings," offered the cashier.

"_Cocoa Rings!?" _thought Tails excitedly, picturing the glorious sight of miniature Rings made of chocolate.

"I'll have a huge bowlful!" the fox said happily.

"Okay, and what to drink?" asked the cashier.

"I'll have a small cherry soda," said Sonic.

"And I'll take a small mint shake!" added Tails eccentrically with a playful grin, which Sonic found adorable.

"Alright then. It all comes down to eleven Rings," concluded the cashier, "Are you paying separately or all in one?"

"We're in this together!" answered Sonic as he and Tails pumped their fists together, showing off their brotherly bond.

The hedgehog then unstrapped his backpack and opened it. He dug his hand in and felt around for some Rings. Then, he felt his fingers touch something hard, and he immediately knew what it was.

Sonic pulled his hand out of his backpack, and in his hand were thirteen golden Rings.

"Here ya go!" said Sonic as he handed the Rings to the cashier.

"Thanks very much. Your breakfast shall be ready in a few minutes," said the cashier.

"Thanks a lot," said Sonic.

"Have a good day," added Tails.

"You, too," replied the cashier as Sonic and Tails walked away to find a table.

Before long, the duo picked a table right next to the windows that were brightening the cafe with natural sunlight.

"It's such a beautiful day today," said Sonic.

"I agree. I sense such a happy day ahead of us, bro!" replied Tails.

The brothers slid onto some benches that surrounded the table, facing each other, then they slid their backpacks off and set them by the window so that they were reassured they were safe.

"How are you enjoying this vacation so far, Tails?" asked Sonic, "And I'd like you to be honest. Are you truly enjoying this relaxing time we're having together."

Tails thought deeply about Sonic's question. He remembered everything that had happened yesterday, from the visit to his old house and remembering Cosmo, the cuddly tickling they enjoyed on their way to Station Square and their welcoming return to the city via fancy lyrics from Yello's "Call It Love" playing at SS Central Station, to the fancy overnight stay in the hotel, watching Sonic X throughout the night. Although remembering Cosmo almost saddened Tails all over again, he knew she always had a happy place in his heart.

"Sonic, … I think it's been such an emotional yet fun start to this vacation," the fox answered.

"I can understand the emotional part, buddy," said Sonic gently as the two held hands together, "Lots of memories came back to us yesterday, didn't they?"

"Yes," replied Tails, "Especially, … and I must admit this, … Cosmo."

"I'm glad that you're not afraid to show your true feelings, buddy," said Sonic, "After all, I'm your big brother, so you can tell me anything."

"Let's be honest, buddy. I was so close to breaking down while we were sitting in front of that window in my old bedroom. I was just trying my best not to let the sad thoughts take over my mind all over again," admitted Tails, "I could watch almost any one of those moments I had with her while we were fighting the Metarex, and it would be impossible for me to keep those feelings in."

"That's okay, Tails," said Sonic with a reassuring grin, "You should never be afraid to let your emotions come out if a memory about something happy or sad comes into your mind. Like I said before, I'll always be here to keep you safe and happy. As much as I sometimes feel overprotective with you, I especially feel sad whenever you're sad. I will always care deeply for you, Tails, no matter what."

Tails looked at Sonic and grinned with a few tears.

"Thank you so much, Sonic," said Tails in a soft, cute voice, "I'll always care for you, too, even if I have to risk my own life to do it. I lost the first love of my life after the Metarex War, and I never wanna lose another close friend, especially you. I will always love you as my caring big brother, Sonic."

As Tails let more tears out of his eyes, Sonic smiled happily at him and felt his heart sinking with love; … brotherly love, to be exact. He felt proud for Tails showing his true feelings about Cosmo and about Sonic. As much as Sonic didn't want Tails to get into serious danger, he felt very proud to have a little brother who was determined to do whatever it took to keep him safe, even if staring death in the face.

The hedgehog fought back a few tears and looked into Tails' sparkling blue eyes.

"You've really touched my heart with those strong words, Tails," said Sonic, "I feel very proud to have a little brother like you. I may not want you getting into terrible danger, even if you were just doing it to protect me, but I find it appreciating to have someone who wants me to be safe. You have such a strong heart, Tails. You're very caring to me and our other friends, and I adore that you're able to share your deepest feelings with me about anything. I'll always love you as my caring little brother, too, Tails."

Tails grinned tearfully at Sonic and jumped across the table to hug his brother, which caught the hedgehog by surprise. The fox wrapped his arms tightly around Sonic's neck, while the hedgehog gently wrapped his arms around Tails' back and returned the warm embrace.

"Thank you so much, Sonic! I love you so much!" whispered Tails as he tried to avoid sobbing onto Sonic's chest.

"Aww, my little pal," replied Sonic gently as he stroked his brother's forehead warmly, "I love you so much, too, Tails."

Both hedgehog and fox cuddled into each other as they exchanged tears and smiles. They both agreed that this vacation was off to a great start, given that the longer they spent together, the more they loved each other as brothers.

Then, Sonic grabbed a napkin and wiped the tears off Tails' face as he cradled him comfortably.

"And besides, you didn't lose the first love of your life. Cosmo will always have a special place in your heart, … because of the love you have for her even today."

Those words managed to put an adorable smile on Tails' wet face. He was happy to still have Cosmo in a special part of his life; a special place in his heart that would never die. He was also happy to have heard those words from another person he loved so much. Tails loved Sonic as a brother just as much as he loved Cosmo romantically.

"I think it's best if we saved the rest of our tears for later. Breakfast is about to arrive," said Sonic in an effort to get Tails to stop crying.

"Oops. Sorry about that, Sonic," said Tails weakly as he struggled to keep his tears in.

"It's okay, Tails," replied Sonic gently, "We'll have plenty of time to ourselves once we have breakfast and make our trip to the video store."

"Okay, big bro," said Tails.

The two brothers nuzzled each others' faces and hugged each other a little longer.

"By the way, little buddy, did you also mention fun when I asked you how you thought our vacation had started off?" asked Sonic.

Tails quickly turned his emotional smile into a playful one.

"I most certainly did mention fun!" the fox answered, "I had a lot of fun with you yesterday! Playing around at Mystic Ruins, having our ticklish fun from time to time, and, of course, that Sonic X marathon last night was a lot of fun! I'll bet that once we walk out of that video store, we'll be in for more fun wherever our next destination is!"

"You sure sound like one excited little fox, bro!" commented Sonic in a happy chuckle, "Just wait and see, pal! We'll be having lots of brotherly fun today!"

"Oh, boy! You suddenly got me so excited!" said Tails cheerfully.

"Okay, just take it easy, bro. We're just about to have breakfast," said Sonic.

Tails calmed himself down and stabilized himself.

"Sorry. I'm just in a good mood all of a sudden," said Tails.

"It's okay, bud," replied Sonic, "I'm happy that you're in a good mood."

Tails leaped back across the table and returned to his seat, … just seconds before a waitress showed up, with a glass cup in each hand.

"Hello! It's great to see you two again!" greeted the waitress.

"Great to see you, too!" replied Tails.

"Cherry soda for you, Sonic," said the waitress as she handed the soda-filled glass to the hedgehog, then she turned to Tails and gave him the other cup, "And a mint shake for you, Tails."

"Thanks, waitress," said Sonic and Tails.

"You're welcome. Your food will be here in just a moment," replied the waitress.

"Sounds good," said Sonic as the waitress left.

Sure enough, only seconds later, another waitress arrived at the table, with a bowl in one hand and a plate in the other hand.

"For Sonic, six foot-long chili-flavored sausages," the waitress spoke as she set the sausage-filled plate on the table in front of Sonic before turning to Tails with the bowl, "And for Tails, a large bowl of Cocoa Rings cereal."

The brothers' tongues stuck out of their mouths in delight as they gazed at their food.

The first waitress then reappeared with another glass, this time filled with milk. She set the glass next to Tails' cereal bowl.

"Some milk to pour onto your cereal," the first waitress said as she set the milk glass on the table.

"Enjoy!" the two waitresses said together with beautiful smiles before leaving.

"Service with some smiles. Very beautiful!" commented Tails.

"Yep," agreed Sonic as they turned their attention to their breakfast, "C'mon. Let's eat."

Tails took his glass of milk and poured it into his cereal bowl while Sonic quickly dug into his chili sausage. The fox then playfully took his spoon with one of his twin tails and dug it into his bowl before bringing a spoonful of chocolate cereal into his mouth.

"Wow! They serve such delicious chili sausage!" said Sonic happily as he enjoyed his breakfast.

"I agree with those words on the cereal!" replied Tails with a chuckle, having taken his first bite of the day, "How about this awesome mint shake!?"

The fox leaned forward and brought the straw to his mouth. Then, he sucked a small portion of the milkshake into his mouth with the straw. His eyes grew wide as his tongue was instantly treated to that delightful taste of minty candy and ice cream!

"This is so delicious!" said Tails after swallowing his first sip of his mint shake, "I'm lost for words on this awesome shake!"

Sonic watched happily as Tails excitedly took another sip of his milkshake before once again using one of his tails to get another spoonful of his chocolate cereal into his mouth. The hedgehog thought his fox brother looked so adorable the way he enjoyed his breakfast combination!

"You're one cute little fox, Tails! The way you enjoy your breakfast brings back memories of when you were younger," recalled Sonic.

"Really!?" replied Tails happily.

"Yup!" said Sonic, "I remember when you used to enjoy meals in such delightful ways. You would always eat your most favorite foods with excitement, and look at you now! You look just like some five or six-year-old again!"

"Hehe! I guess we really are having such a lovely breakfast!" said Tails eccentrically as he once again sipped his mint shake.

Sonic took his first sip of his cherry soda, and he instantly grew fond of it.

"This soda is so wonderful. Perfect combination, this soda and these sausages," commented Sonic.

"This is such an awesome combination, too!" said Tails, looking at his own breakfast, "Chocolate cereal and a minty milkshake! This is one of the greatest breakfasts I've ever had in my life, if not the greatest! Or you know what? Maybe it is the greatest!"

Sonic chuckled as Tails finished the first half of his cereal bowl.

Over the next five minutes, the duo woofed down their breakfast so fast that they almost gained stomachaches, but they took it easy enough to avoid that from happening.

Soon, the brothers were finished with their breakfast, after Tails drank the leftover milk from his cereal bowl.

"That was so delicious!" said Tails happily.

"I'm so glad!" replied Sonic, "I loved mine, too!"

"I'm happy for ya!" said Tails.

The duo put their backpacks back on and left their table just as the waitresses arrived to retrieve their dishes.

"Thanks for the breakfast, ladies!" said Sonic to the waitresses.

"I've just had the most enjoyable breakfast of my life!" added Tails.

"You're welcome! Have a nice day!" replied the first waitress.

"And have a good vacation, too!" the second waitress put in.

"How did you know we were on vacation?" asked Sonic as he and Tails looked at the waitresses with crossed looks on their faces.

"Just a lucky guess," answered the second waitress.

"Lucky!" replied Sonic and Tails.

"Bye!" waved the waitresses.

"Bye!" Sonic and Tails waved back before finally leaving the hotel.

The two brothers left the hotel through the front entrance and stepped out into the open city scape of Station Square once more.

"So, ready to find that video store?" Sonic asked Tails.

"You bet I am!" answered Tails.

"Okay! Hop on, pal!" said Sonic.

Tails delightfully climbed onto Sonic's back and clung onto his neck, and the hedgehog sped off at his supersonic speed through the busy streets.

This worried Tails. What if Sonic could crash into the back of a car while running this fast on the busy streets?

"Don't you think it's a little dangerous to be speeding down these streets?" asked Tails nervously.

"Not if you aren't in a car!" replied Sonic confidently.

Tails was still worried, but Sonic knew what he was doing. He could easily see what he was doing, even when running at his supersonic speed, no matter where he was.

Within just fifteen seconds after leaving the hotel, the two brothers arrived at Station Square's video store!

"See. With me around, it takes no time at all!" chuckled Sonic.

Tails chuckled back and hopped off Sonic's back.

"I can feel it now," said Tails, "Sonic X collection, here we come!"

The duo ran in through the storefront door and found themselves surrounded by video shelves all over the store! Everything ranged from classic VHS tapes to new and used DVDs!

"We should find those Sonic X DVDs in no time," said Sonic.

"You sure sound pretty confident, bro," said Tails, "Have you been in here before?"

"Not really until now," replied Sonic.

"I guess we'll just have to look until we find them," sighed Tails.

"Don't worry, Tails. We'll find them," said Sonic reassuringly.

The two brothers split up and walked into separate areas of the store.

Sonic found himself in the "Movies" aisle. He realized he had guessed too soon on which aisle to take, but he decided to look around anyway, just for the sake of seeing what they had. The movies ranged from science fiction films and horror movies to fantasy movies and comedies.

Tails was the more lucky one. He had stepped into the "Anime" aisle, and was surrounded by tons of DVDs on Japanese-animated shows. He knew "Sonic X" was anime, so he searched every DVD case on the shelves until he found the targets …

"_Sonic X: New World Saga"_

"_Sonic X: Chaos Emerald Chaos"_

"_Sonic X: Chaos &amp; Shadow Sagas"_

"_Sonic X: The Egg Moon, Emerl &amp; Homeward Sagas"_

"_Sonic X: The Complete 5th Season"_

"_Sonic X: So Long, Sonic"_

"This is it," Tails whispered to himself, "These must be it."

The fox grabbed all six of them and looked at the back of each and every case to make sure that all seventy-eight episodes were listed.

They were. Not a single one missing.

"Just six discs for all seventy-eight episodes? That is one crazy deal!" commented Tails.

Just then, Sonic appeared in the aisle. Tails caught up with Sonic and held out the six DVDs he had found.

"You found them?" said Sonic in surprise.

"Just six discs, and when combined, that's all seventy-eight episodes! I've got plenty of room in my backpack, and once we get home we'll have something to enjoy right after we put these on my shelf! This deal's a lock!" said Tails.

"Well, buddy, looks like we've got ourselves one heck of a show to watch when we get home!" replied Sonic happily.

"I'll go check these out right now!" said Tails, and he rushed out of the aisle with the six DVDs.

Sonic watched as Tails stopped at the register to check out the DVDs.

"I know at least a few episodes won't be easy for him. I think a few others may not be easy for me, either," Sonic said to himself as he thought about the many good … and bad … memories they had in those events that happened in that show, "I think it'll be an overall good experience to relive once we've returned to Bygone Island."

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard the TVs speak some words that sounded like a dream …

"_The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California."_

_This was followed by a shot of said car, accompanied by some more eighties techno pop with an extremely low-pitched voice saying, "OOOOH YEEEEAAAH"_

Sonic spotted one of the TVs and saw the mentioned Ferrari on the screen, sitting in a garage.

"_Less than a hundred were made,"_ _that same teenage voice continued as multiple close-ups of the car were shown, "My father spent three years restoring this car."_

_The next shot showed two teenagers standing just outside the garage. One of them was wearing a gray suit, and the other one, who was talking about the Ferrari, was wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey._

"_It is his love. It is his passion."_

"_It's his fault he didn't lock the garage," said the handsomely dressed teenager as he walked towards the Ferrari._

"_Ferris, what are you talking about?" asked the other teenager._

"_Ooh," said Ferris as he admired the red Ferrari, as the low-pitched voice in the music uttered the words, "Even more beautiful. Heh, heh"_

"_Ferris, my father loves this car more than life itself," said the second teenager._

"_A man with such priorities so far out of whack doesn't deserve such a fine automobile," replied Ferris._

"_OOOOH YEEEEAAAH" uttered the low-pitched voice again._

"_No," said the second teenager, shaking his head reluctantly and walking up to Ferris, "No. Apparently, you don't understand."_

"_Wow," said Ferris._

"_Ferris, he never drives it. He just rubs it with a diaper."_

_Ferris rubbed his hand against the right side of the Ferrari._

"_Hey," continued the second teenager, "Remember how insane he went when I broke my retainer? Huh? Come on! That was a little piece of plastic. This is a Ferrari."_

_Ferris blew a kiss as he gazed at the front of the car before walking up to his friend._

"_Cameron, I'm sorry," said Ferris, "But we can't pick up Sloane in your car. Mr. Rooney would never believe Mr. Peterson drives that piece of junk."_

"_It's not a piece of junk," said Cameron._

"_It **is** a piece of junk," replied Ferris, "Don't worry about it. I don't even have a piece of junk. I have to envy yours."_

"_Oh, thanks," said Cameron sarcastically as Ferris opened the car's left door._

"_Look, I'm sorry. There's nothing else we can do," said Ferris apologetically before stepping into the topless car._

_Ferris then looked at the camera with some cool look on his face, as if he was falling in love with the Ferrari._

"_He knows the mileage, Ferris," added Cameron._

"_He doesn't trust you?" asked Ferris._

"_Never has. Never will," answered Cameron._

"_Look, this is real simple. Whatever miles we put on, we'll take off," explained Ferris._

"_How?" asked Cameron._

"_We'll drive home backwards," answered Ferris._

_Cameron simply gave Ferris a sarcastic look just before Ferris turned the switch and started the car's engine._

"_No," said Cameron furiously, "NO! FERRIS, forget it! You'll just gonna have to think of something else! I'm putting my foot down!"_

_Ferris ignored him and slowly drove the car out of the garage, much to Cameron's dismay._

"_HOW ABOUT WE RENT A NICE CADILLAC!? MY TREAT! WE COULD CALL A LIMO! A NICE STRETCH JOB WITH A TV AND A BAR! HOW ABOUT THAT!?" screamed Cameron as Ferris signaled for him to join him in the car._

"_Come on! Live a little!" shouted Ferris._

_Cameron gave a praying gesture before joining Ferris in the Ferrari._

_The scene then changed to the front doors of a high school._

"I was laughing throughout that whole scene," said Tails, popping in behind Sonic by surprise.

Sonic jumped as the surprise jolted him.

"Whoa! Tails, you really snuck up on me there! Whew!" said Sonic, "You almost scared me."

"Sorry, Sonic," apologized Tails, "Didn't mean to surprise you. I got the DVDs checked out while you were watching that hilarious scene!"

"Awesome!" replied Sonic joyously.

Tails slipped the six "Sonic X" DVDs into his backpack and zipped the pocket shut before swinging the backpack over his back again.

"That movie looks pretty hilarious, doesn't it!? Did you see the way he just lured that beautiful Ferrari out of that garage!?" giggled Tails.

"It should be giving you laughs, given that movie is almost thirty years old," said the cashier, "I love _Ferris Bueller's Day Off_. It's all about wanting to see the world as you get out of high school. Might I recommend it someday?"

"Maybe so," replied Sonic.

"Well, Sonic, wanna go back out and see the world?" asked Tails.

"You bet, Tails!" answered Sonic before turning to the cashier, "Hey, thanks a lot! We really appreciate it!"

"Anytime!" replied the cashier as Sonic and Tails left the store.

The two brothers stepped back outside and tried their best to smell the fresh air, but they were surrounded by cars traveling in virtually every direction.

"Perhaps, we should go ahead and journey someplace where it's very peaceful," suggested Sonic.

"You're right, Sonic," agreed Tails as he jumped onto Sonic's back again, "You can decide this time. I'd like a nice surprise."

"Oh, you'll be so surprised to see where we're going next!" replied Sonic in a chuckle as he once again sped down the street, carrying Tails with him.

It wouldn't be long before the brotherly couple journeyed to their next destination to enjoy their brotherly vacation even more!

* * *

_**Well, that will conclude everything to be seen in "Sonic Adventure", and soon it'll be time to journey to another place we haven't seen in a while. We'll find out in chapter eight!**_

_**Until then, goodnight! :)**_


	8. Windy Hill: Playful Tickle Time!

_**Now for things to get very peaceful for our heroes, yet elsewhere it's not quite as peaceful as we had hoped for some of our other heroes.**_

_**Once again, we shall start off on Bygone Island, where it seems that Eggman is getting more powerful by the minute. :O**_

* * *

Just off the coast of Bygone Island, Dr. Eggman was in his lair, throwing a wild celebration for himself as he watched his robots terrorize the inhabitants of the island. Hour after hour, more villages became devoid of life, including the Gogobas' village. With Team Sonic gone from action, he felt that nothing could get in the way of his evil plan. He had already captured Amy, Knuckles and Sticks, and soon his Spybots would have Sonic and Tails tracked down and assassinated while on their vacation.

Or so he thought …

As Eggman was snickering at his monitors, Orbot and Cubot suddenly burst in through the door.

"Doctor, we have some information for you!" called Orbot.

Eggman's grin instantly faded to an angry frown of annoyance. Oh, how much he hated Orbot and Cubot spoiling his moments.

"What do you want this time, you glitchy personalities?" asked Eggman in a bored tone.

"I'm afraid it's not satisfactory for us," replied Cubot.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" yelled Eggman.

"Our Spybots that were sent to kill Sonic and Tails," Orbot began, "They were forced to fight their way through a thunderstorm while traveling over the ocean, … possibly to some other unknown island."

"So?" said Eggman in confusion, "Where are they now?"

"They were all destroyed in the storm. A lightning bolt produced enough power to overcharge them and burn them out," finished Orbot.

"They all fell into the ocean," added Cubot.

Eggman felt his chest heaving as he heard the news that proved a disaster for him.

"Send more Spybots to track down Sonic and Tails," the evil doctor ordered.

"Uh, … I'm afraid we've used up the last of our Spybots. There are no more available for use at this time," answered Orbot before sinking his head.

Eggman pounded his fist on the control deck in fury. His only chance to stop Sonic and Tails from coming home were gone, and now he was forced to come up with an alternative plan.

It didn't take long, however, for this mad scientist to think of something absolutely evil …

"In that case, then, I'll write them a little note, and it'll be such a huge mockery!" said Eggman before laughing evilly.

"Mockery?" asked Cubot stupidly.

"Uh, what he means is that he plans to mock Sonic and Tails for taking a vacation," explained Orbot.

"That's right," agreed Eggman, "I'll insult them with everything I can think of!"

He paused and pondered his possibilities.

"Nah. I'll just go for simple mocks. I can't go too far. Sonic can barely take anything as an insult, so what's the point? I'll just mock him and his brotherly fox friend," he concluded, "End of story. They come home and find the note on the desk, they'll be feeling so regretful for leaving their dear old friends behind!"

Eggman forced another evil laugh that echoed throughout the room.

"So when are you gonna begin writing it?" asked Cubot in an annoying voice, once again to the disturbance of Eggman.

"RIGHT NOW, YOU BOLTHEAD! GET OUT!" Eggman screamed at Cubot, scaring the yellow robot out of the room before turning to Orbot, "ORBOT! I want you to deliver the note to Tails' living room once I'm finished writing it! If you can at least make yourself useful for once, I'll rank you up on my rankings!"

"Really?" asked Orbot excitedly.

"NO! GET OUT, YOU RED-HEADED SPHERE OF WIRES!" screamed Eggman.

Orbot instantly turned and rushed out of the room, leaving Eggman alone once again.

The doctor snickered madly and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil, then he quickly began writing his so-called "Capture Notice".

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails had just worn themselves out with a lot of running and flying around. It didn't take long for them to get out of Station Square, but the journey that followed would once again take them over the ocean to yet another place they remembered vividly, … and one they had been to not that long ago …

Windy Hill.

**(A/N: Yeah, we've seen plenty of "Sonic Adventure"/"Sonic X". Now let's go for "Sonic Lost World"!)**

The two brothers found a spot filled with fresh green grass, surrounded by plenty of beautiful trees. The sun shone brightly over the immensely natural environment, and there were plenty of animals around, having noticed the two heroes walking by and were willing to accompany them.

"Whew. That was some fun race we had, bro!" said Sonic.

"It sure was, bro," agreed Tails, panting from tiredness.

"Let's lay down and take a chill on this fresh green grass," suggested Sonic before he took his backpack off and lied down on his back.

Tails also removed his backpack and lied down right next to Sonic.

The two scooted as close to each other as they could, and they wrapped their arms behind each others' backs.

"It's so … quiet around here, Sonic," commented Tails softly.

"Yeah, you're right, Tails," agreed Sonic, "Nothing but the sound of the wind blowing gently."

Then, they heard a few small animals cutely walking by.

"And a few animals," added Sonic, making Tails giggle.

The duo looked at each other and smiled.

Tails' eyes then began to pick up some disturbance from the sunlight that shone down on them.

"Gee, it's gotten pretty bright for my eyes," said Tails, "Do you think we could relax under a tree?"

"Sure thing, buddy," agreed Sonic.

The two brothers stood up, picked up their backpacks and walked over to the nearest tree, on a spot that provided shade from the intense sunlight, before sitting back down on the grass and placing their backpacks beside them.

"How are you feeling, by the way, Tails?" asked Sonic, feeling curious on how this vacation had effected Tails' self-confidence, "Do you feel any more self-confident than you did before we left home yesterday morning?"

Tails looked at Sonic and grinned faintly.

"I do feel a little better, Sonic," the fox answered softly.

"Because if you're still feeling a little down on self-confidence, we can spend another day away from home," offered Sonic.

This was one hedgehog who would stop at nothing to help Tails feel as confident about his work as possible. He knew what their real mission was: to get Tails back into his confident self so that he could work on just about anything. As far as Sonic was concerned, this was all for Tails' well-being.

"You know, Sonic," Tails began, "This vacation has really helped me regain my composure. When you saved me from having a heart attack in my workshop two days ago, I felt like I couldn't do anything, … but now … I feel that I've regained most of what I've lost. Maybe another day could do."

"Are you really sure, buddy?" asked Sonic, wanting to be sure that Tails really meant what he said.

"I'm sure, pal. Every word of it," replied Tails with an honest voice, "I think that after I spend another day and a half with you, relaxing at all of the wonderful sights of the world, … then I'll feel like the mechanical genius I usually am."

Sonic felt happy to hear this from his brother. This was a sign that their vacation was just the perfect idea to help Tails!

"I'm so glad to hear that, buddy. It's not just because I love to spend time with you, … my favorite little brother, … but also because I wanna help you. I wanted to come with you, because I knew that if you were alone then you would feel a little sad. I always hate to hear when you get sad for any reason, little pal. No vacation can ever be complete without someone close to you in life. You're very lucky to have someone very close to your life, Tails, … and that would be me. No matter what we do, … whether it's for your own purpose, … my own purpose, … or for the purpose of saving others, … we'll always be in it together. I'll always be right by your side, Tails, … just like you are for me. As long as we have each other, you can always believe in yourself, Tails," said Sonic.

Tails smiled cutely at Sonic, earning a happy blush from the hedgehog as he smiled in return. The way Tails smiled at Sonic nearly forced a tear from the hedgehog's eye. Here he was now, … wearing a cute pair of goggles over his forehead, yet in his mind, Sonic could picture an excessively adorable anime-style Tails smiling at him so cutely.

"You know, Tails, I sometimes forget how much you've grown over the last few years," admitted Sonic as he struggled to snap out of his trance, "The way you smile is just so affectionately cute and adorable, … just like you."

"Awww," replied Tails, blushing happily as he tried to keep his happy tears in.

The fox gently sat on Sonic's lap and hugged his big brother. The hedgehog wrapped his arms around Tails' back and hugged him in return. The two refused to let go of each other for several minutes while they hugged and cuddled into each other under the tree.

They had hugged for four and a half minutes by the time Tails felt something tickling his back, making him giggle and shake in their hug.

"Gehehehehehahahahahahaha! Sohohohonihihihic! Staahahahahahop!" giggled Tails.

"I'm not doing anything, little buddy," replied Sonic, looking confused.

Then, the hedgehog spotted a cute little rabbit wiggling his ears on Tails' back.

"Uh, Tails, there's a rabbit trying to get our attention," said Sonic.

Tails heard this through his laughter and looked behind him.

Indeed, there was the adorable rabbit, smiling adorably at the two heroes.

"Heh. Even adorable little animals love to tickle ya!" joked Sonic, earning an embarrassed blush from Tails.

"Oh, Sonic!" the fox replied with a slight hint of playful sarcasm.

Sonic simply kept Tails on his lap and continued to hug him as the rabbit hopped onto Tails' lap.

The fox grinned affectionately at the rabbit, earning a return smile before it brought its face up to Tails' white muzzle and sniffed him.

Tails giggled as the sniffing tickled him slightly.

"I think he really likes you, Tails," whispered Sonic in Tails' right ear.

Tails blushed as he kept giggling happily from those cute thoughts.

Then, the rabbit started nuzzling all over Tails' face and chest, earning even more giggles that soon turned to laughs as the ticklishness increased.

"Hehe. Hehehehe! Hehehehehehehehehahahahahahahahaha!" giggled Tails as the sensations tickled him like a feather, "It's toohoohoohoohoohoo tihihihihicklihihihihish!"

"Hmm, maybe I can help with that," said Sonic.

Tails looked up at his big brother just before the hedgehog pinned the fox's arms down by squeezing him into a tight hug, much to his surprise.

"Maybe some more tickling will help," joked Sonic as the rabbit went for Tails' forehead and nuzzled it softly.

"Ugh! Nohohohohot my forehehehehead! My fahahahahahace!" complained Tails through laughter.

"You really are one ticklish fox, aren't ya, my little pal!?" commented Sonic playfully.

"Pleeheeheeheehease dohohohon't, Sohohohonihihihic!" laughed Tails, not wanting Sonic to get any ideas.

This failed to convince Sonic not to join in.

Just as the rabbit finished nuzzling Tails' face and hopped off his lap, Sonic immediately pulled Tails' shoes and socks off his feet, leaving his orange toes exposed. Then, the hedgehog kept one arm wrapped tightly around his fox brother, keeping his arms pinned down, and used his other hand to wiggle freely on Tails' toes.

Within an instant, the sensations on the fox's toes had driven him into insane laughter.

"No! NO! NAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" yelled Tails in laughter, "PLEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEASE! SOHOHOHONIHIHIHIHICAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"

"I just wanna hear that adorable laugh of yours, little buddy!" said Sonic playfully as he refused to stop tickling Tails' toes.

"KEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Tails, no longer able to form words.

"Hmm, how about we mess with your feet a little?" chuckled Sonic as he switched to Tails' heels and wiggled his fingers on them, earning even more laughs from the young fox.

"GEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" yelled an out-of-control Tails, "HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Tails' heels may not have been as ticklish as his toes, but still he could only laugh and thrash around as Sonic had him trapped in his grasp for a long round of tickling!

"Almost done, cute little one!" said Sonic as he stopped tickling Tails' feet and aimed for his white-furred chest next, tickling him at spots where his shoulder strap wouldn't get in the way.

"KEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" laughed Tails cutely, not even able to kick his legs up and down after they had been tickle tortured just moments ago.

The fox couldn't even use his twin tails to stop Sonic from tickling him. He had broken out of control, and was rendered defenseless against him.

Sonic kept on tickling Tails' chest for several more minutes until he finally decided that his brother needed a break.

Tails panted heavily as he tried to stop laughing from all of that tickle torture. Sonic unpinned Tails' arms and loosened his grip on him so that he could breathe better.

It took several minutes for Tails to regain his composure and re-stabilize his breathing.

"Sonic," he panted, "That was … that was so crazy! I could barely breathe!"

"Sorry about that, little buddy," replied Sonic, "But once I saw that rabbit being such a cute friend to you, I just couldn't resist. You really are so cute, Tails."

"Aww, Sonic, you loving brother!" chuckled Tails happily.

The fox put his socks and shoes back on his feet, and he turned to face Sonic.

"So, you've heard my adorable laughs, … now I wanna hear yours!" said Tails with a mischievous grin.

"What?" said Sonic in confusion, although he (sort of) knew what was coming.

Sure enough, Tails instantly knocked Sonic down and started tickling his neck, much to the hedgehog's surprise.

"Tails! Naaahahahahahahahahohohoho!" laughed Sonic.

"Where's that laugh I'm looking for!?" said Tails eccentrically as he tickled his brother even harder, turning Sonic's giggles into hard laughs.

"NO! AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" shouted Sonic in his laughter, "TAHAHAHAHAHAILS!"

"Oh yeah!" said Tails with another mischievous grin, "There's that lovely sound I'm looking for!"

"TAILS! PLEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE! STAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHOP!" pleaded Sonic.

"Maybe you should say you're sorry for letting that adorable rabbit give you ideas about tickling me!" replied Tails as he kept tickling Sonic's neck.

"OKAHAHAHAHAHAY! I'M SORRY, TAHAHAHAHAHAHAILS! PLEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEASE!" laughed Sonic.

"Good!" responded Tails, and he stopped tickling his big brother's neck.

Sonic panted to regain his breath and sat up as his breathing became stable again.

"I assume we're even now, buddy," said Sonic.

"We're definitely even now, pal," agreed Tails.

"Maybe a little something else to help us feel even closer," said Sonic, "Come here, Tails, my adorable little fox!"

The hedgehog playfully pulled Tails back onto his lap and cuddled him into another brotherly hug, much to Tails' surprise and happiness.

"Oh, Sonic, my awesome hedgehog brother!" replied Tails before hugging Sonic back.

"Aw, Tails. That's my boy," said Sonic in a soft, happy voice.

"Okay, Sonic. You're gonna start acting like my dad?" said Tails with crossed eyes.

After a brief silence, the two broke into laughter once again, having found their awkward moment to be extremely hilarious.

"I love you, Tails," said Sonic happily.

"I love you, too, Sonic," replied Tails cutely.

"You're such a cute little brother, Tails," added Sonic with a warm smile, "What an adorable fox you are."

"Awww!" said Tails, blushing deep red in brotherly love, "Sonic, you handsome hedgehog! You're such an affectionate brother, too!"

The two brothers lied down in the shade and kept on hugging each other for what seemed like hours out in the park. They nuzzled each others' faces from time to time as they relaxed comfortably in their brotherly hug.

"Just you and me today and tomorrow, and then we'll return home and be treated to some delightful warmness in many ways," said Sonic.

"What a happy thought, Sonic," commented Tails.

"We've got nothing but happy thoughts ahead of us for the next forty-eight hours, Tails," replied Sonic.

The two smiled at each other and rested together under the tree for a while.

Tails had to admit that he was loving this vacation with Sonic, especially after a day like this!

* * *

_**Well, another chapter down, and those two brothers are still having a wonderful time! Only time will tell when Bygone Island will see their heroes again.**_

_**Got more work to do tomorrow, so I'll be seeing you over the weekend with the next chapter! See ya soon! :)**_


	9. Spending the night at Windy Hill

_**Time to see our two heroes spend another brotherly night together! However, some others back home would likely think otherwise.**_

_**Here it is: Night Two!**_

* * *

Doctor Eggman sat in front of his desk in his monitor room, putting the finishing touches on his note to Sonic and Tails. He planned to mock them for taking a vacation while risking everyone else's safety, which is exactly what had happened over the last twenty-four hours! Everyone on the island had been captured and taken hostage due to the absence of the two brothers.

"_Sincerely and evilly yours, Doctor Eggman," _he mouthed as he finished the last line on his paper.

The mad doctor put his pencil down and folded the letter twice. Then, he placed it in a black envelope, containing his symbol in red.

"ORBOT!" he called loudly, his voice echoing throughout the room.

The red round-headed robot immediately burst into the room, having heard the call.

"Are you in need of assistance, Doctor?" asked Orbot.

"Your time has come to make a special delivery!" replied Eggman as he sealed the envelope, "I want you to take this note to Tails' house on Bygone Island immediately!"

"Exactly where in the house shall I place it?" asked Orbot in confusion.

"Leave it on the table in front of Tails' couch," ordered Eggman.

"Yes, Doctor. Delivery shall be completed in just about no time," complied Orbot.

"'Just about' isn't good enough, you little pipsqueak," said Eggman, feeling annoyed once again, "Now, GO!"

Orbot snatched the note from Eggman and scurried out of the room with it.

"Pretty soon, Sonic and Tails are gonna come home and find that they've made one of the most costly mistakes of their lives! They'll both feel so regretful, and there will be tension between them and their friends! AAAH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAAA!" laughed Eggman.

* * *

At Windy Hill, Sonic and Tails were enjoying a splendid nature walk around the area, as the sun set beautifully on the western horizon and made way for the moon and the stars to light up the sky.

At this point, the duo had spent just about all day in Windy Hill, relaxing in the extraordinarily peaceful place that felt somewhat like a nature park.

"It's getting pretty dark now, Sonic," said Tails as he struggled to stop himself from yawning so that he wouldn't indicate to Sonic that he was tired out.

Sonic knew right away, though, that his little brother was tiring out, having heard a slight yawn from the fox, and he thought of nothing more than finding somewhere to relax for the night.

"Why don't we look for a place where we can spend the night?" the hedgehog offered.

"Okay, big bro," answered Tails, holding Sonic's hand.

It wasn't long before Sonic spotted a big tree sitting by a beautiful flower garden.

"This looks like a great place to spend the night," commented Sonic.

Tails looked at the big tree, and he was astounded by its looks and its surroundings.

"It looks so beautiful," said Tails, "I'd love nothing more than a lovely night with you under a big tree."

"Aww, Tails, you're so sweet!" chuckled Sonic, playfully stroking Tails' hair.

The fox giggled as he briefly tickled Sonic's muzzle, earning a few return giggles from the hedgehog.

The brothers walked up to the tree and took off their backpacks. Then, they opened them and pulled out some sleeping bags before setting them on the ground.

"By the way, Tails," said Sonic as he sat down on his sleeping bag with Tails sitting next to him, "Since tomorrow will be our last day all to ourselves before we go home, I was thinking about letting you think about where we should go tomorrow."

Tails pondered at the many possibilities that were still unexplored. Everywhere they had been to over these past two days had been so special to them, but if tomorrow was their last day, they wanted it to be extra special.

"Hmm, we've been to Mystic Ruins, we've been to Station Square, and here we are at Windy Hill," said Tails as he thought, "If I were to make tomorrow extra special, … um, … uh, …-"

He paused and struggled to come up with a conclusion.

Sonic simply patted his brother's back and cuddled him.

"Thinking hard, I see," the hedgehog whispered.

"Hmm, it's hard for me to say, really," added Tails.

"Well, it's okay, buddy. You don't have to tell me right now, but hopefully you'll have something in mind by tomorrow morning," said Sonic.

Tails knew that Sonic was right. Only a good night's sleep would help this young fox make his decision on where to take himself and Sonic on their final vacation day.

Sonic pulled his shoes and socks off his feet, then he pulled his gloves off his hands. Tails did the same thing, along with his goggles, waist belt and shoulder strap. They put all of their belongings in between their sleeping bags, knowing that as long as they were very close, they would feel warm together.

"Well, little buddy, … how's about we lie down and watch the stars?" asked Sonic.

Tails grinned at Sonic, agreeing that watching the stars sounded like a fun thing for two brothers like them to do before falling asleep.

"Okay, big buddy," the fox answered softly as he yawned again.

The duo lied down on top of Sonic's blue sleeping bag and held hands as they gazed up at the starry skies. Tails even wrapped his twin tails around himself to stay warm.

Soon, the fox observed several stars and took notice of something very familiar to him …

"I think I've just spotted the Big Dipper constellation," he whispered to his big brother.

Sonic felt astounded for his little brother finding a constellation.

"Really?"

"Yeah," said Tails, pointing up at a few stars that formed the shape of a cubic spoon with a long linear handle.

Sonic observed the stars which Tails was pointing at, and he soon pictured what Tails had seen.

There it was, in Sonic's eyes: the Big Dipper!

"Wow, Tails. You really are good at studying science, aren't ya?" commented Sonic.

"Yeah, I do study science often," replied Tails, "It really helps me with my technical knowledge, too."

"In turn, it helps all of us, too," added Sonic, forcing a giggly blush from Tails.

"Sonic, you're such an encouraging brother," commented Tails happily.

"Well, that's what I like to do when we do stuff together … or when you're making such incredible progress on your gadgets and planes, … and especially when we fight evil together," said Sonic, wrapping his left arm over Tails' shoulders.

"Sometimes, I wonder about supersonic planes," admitted Tails.

"Well, … you do know that supersonic planes are a lot more complicated than our Tornado planes, doncha?" pointed Sonic.

"Yeah, I know," replied Tails, "Sometimes, though, I just dream about flying as fast as you can run. It's another way that I wanna be like you, Sonic."

Sonic couldn't think of anything other than encouragement whenever Tails said that he wanted to be like him. After all, Tails had always looked up to Sonic, and this hedgehog was more than just a big brother to him; he idolized him. The fox had always looked up to him, except for the times when Tails had to deal with Eggman himself, without Sonic's help.

"Well, … maybe one day, … once you've gained enough training, … I think you'll do okay at flying as fast as me on a supersonic plane," encouraged Sonic.

"You really think so?" asked Tails, wanting to be sure if Sonic really meant it.

"I'm sure, Tails. I really mean it," answered Sonic, "You already can fly almost as fast as me with your own special twin tails. If you believe in yourself, then I'm sure you'll do it on a plane one day."

Tails grinned cutely at Sonic.

"With all of your experience on the Tornado, … flying a supersonic plane may be almost as easy as fixing a broken gadget once you've trained yourself up a bit," added Sonic.

"I have read that there aren't that many supersonic planes in existence these days. I have read some history about speed records, and many of those records are held by planes that are now nothing more than just museum artifacts," explained Tails, "It would be very hard to find one."

"Well, with all of your technical knowledge, you could probably build one of your own. After all, you're such an incredible genius with planes," said Sonic, earning another grin from Tails, "Just remember all those times we've fought Eggman. You have always been _the_ aerial fighter right from the beginning, lil' pal."

"Thanks, Sonic," said Tails before letting out yet another yawn.

"You're welcome, Tails," replied Sonic, patting Tails' back.

"Boy, all of this talking has really made me tired," said Tails, "As much as I love these brotherly conversations, … they sure can be tiring in the middle of the night."

"Yeah, I agree with ya on that, buddy," replied Sonic, letting out a yawn, himself, "I think it's time to hit the hay."

"Okay, buddy," said Tails weakly as Sonic gently pulled him into a hug.

"Can't wait for tomorrow. It's gonna be a great day," whispered Sonic.

"I hear ya, bud," replied Tails, "It's gonna be fun."

"I love you, Tails," said Sonic as he patted Tails' head to keep him warm.

"I love you, too, Sonic," replied Tails in a whisper.

"Have some pleasant dreams, pal," said Sonic.

"You too, bud," said Tails as he slowly pulled himself out of their hug and scooted into his own orange sleeping bag.

"Goodnight, Tails."

"Goodnight, Sonic."

The two brothers snuggled into their warm sleeping bags and rested their heads on their pillows. Only the sound of crickets could be heard in the distance. That sound alone seemed to help them drift off to a deep sleep.

It was almost no time when Sonic and Tails pictured some heartwarming possibilities on their final vacation day.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Doctor Eggman's lair, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks were resting coldly in a highly-secured cell which seemed like a prison. They had spent all day and all evening trapped in the vicinity of Eggman, and they were seemingly losing hope on being rescued, the longer that Sonic and Tails were gone.

Knuckles was especially furious. In his mind, he could only think of blaming Sonic for taking Tails with him and leaving the rest of them as open targets for Eggman.

"I knew they shouldn't have left us in this sticky situation!" the red echidna shouted angrily.

"Oh, Knuckles, you know what Sonic's intentions were when he mentioned what he wanted to do for Tails," said Amy.

"I know, but look at the consequences!" argued Knuckles, "Eggman wasted no time taking over the island, we're all trapped in this stone cold prison and soon he'll be blowing up our home!"

"What would we do then?" asked Sticks with a worried look on her face.

"As long as Eggman keeps as locked up, there's nothing we can do! Look at this place! There's extreme security all over this cell! Only Tails would be able to figure this out!" yelled Knuckles.

"You really think I am going to blow up the island!?" shouted a familiar voice approaching the cell.

The trio of prisoners looked through the metal bars and found Eggman standing right in front of their cell.

"You're gonna be hamburger meat once I get my hands on you!" yelled Knuckles.

"Such cold and pointless words as long as your two leaders are still absent!" replied Eggman with an evil smile, "And why take your anger out on them while I do it for you!?"

This caught the trio by surprise. Those words were completely unexpected.

"What do you mean?" asked Amy.

"I've sent a mocking note over to Tails' house, informing them of their big mistake," Eggman explained, "Once they get home, they'll be feeling so guilty that they'll want to knock themselves out!"

The villain let out a horrifying evil laugh, while the prisoners all felt shocked at such an idea.

"You couldn't possibly be convincing them to lash out at each other!" said Sticks.

"Who knows? Maybe they might, or they'll just cry to each other and put themselves out of their misery," said Eggman.

"Eggman, you crazy idiot!" yelled Amy.

"Goodnight, losers! AAAH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAAAA!" laughed Eggman as he left the prison room.

Amy, Knuckles and Sticks could only feel sorry for Sonic and Tails after being told of this dirty plan by Eggman.

"Those poor heroes are gonna come home and feel so bad," said Amy with worry, "How could such regret like that effect them?"

"I don't know, Amy," replied a calmed Knuckles, "But I'm sure they'll be in for something that just might ruin their week."

"They'll blame each other and lash out at each other," complained Sticks.

"That has happened before, but what if sympathy takes that away, and they'll just come over here and take a stand to Eggman to redeem themselves?" Amy assumed.

"Let's just hope that whatever Eggman's doing won't strain their bond," concluded Knuckles.

The three captives sat quietly in their cold cell and thought worryingly about their two friends. They knew they would be in for a bad treat upon their return to Bygone Island.

* * *

_**Oh, boy. Looks like Eggman's really taking it too far this time, but for now those two brothers are still having their warm, relaxing time together like brothers should. It may feel warm on one side, … but cold on the other.**_

_**See ya over the weekend with chapter ten, with the final day of their vacation! :)**_


	10. A Special Last Day Surprise

_**Well, here we go! It's the last day of vacationing for those brothers, and just about anything can happen! Let's find out!**_

* * *

The sun was rising over Bygone Island. Once again, not a cloud was in sight, but that was the only thing that felt peaceful in such a positive way. The island was devoid of animal life, and it had been that way for almost twenty-four hours. Ever since Doctor Eggman had started taking over the island, many were losing hope.

In Doctor Eggman's lair just off the island, all of Bygone Island's residents were sitting around in the cold prison cells that gave them little hope of survival. All they would get were tiny portions of food from Eggman's robots just twice a day, but other than that, life was nothing more than just lazing helplessly in a high-security police cell.

"Isn't anyone ever going to help us?" asked a beaver sadly.

"If only Sonic were here. Eggman would be owned right now if he was here," replied a weasel.

Meanwhile, up in the control room, Eggman was watching over his prisoners from time to time as he snickered evilly to himself. He was proud of himself for having accomplished a complete island takeover, yet he also felt bored since there was nothing else to do.

"For once, I must wonder when Sonic and Tails will be coming back? I can't wait to blast them with my latest robot technology!" the villain sighed to himself.

Orbot then burst into the room.

"Doctor, the note has been sent and is waiting for them on Tails' couch table," the red robot announced.

"Excellent! I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they read it!" said Eggman joyously, "Now, only time will tell when they will return."

"Couldn't we send something to convince them to return home early?" asked Orbot.

"No way! I already have something else in mind!" replied Eggman with a mischievous grin, "I've already ordered somebody else to send them a little message and give them the news that I'm taking over Bygone Island!"

"Hmm, that sounds a little forward to me," said Orbot, feeling unsure about the idea.

"Yeah, well, I'm tired of just sitting around and waiting for them to come back! I wanna see them pump fists at each other when they decide they should blame each other for their vacation! AAAH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAA! Tension will rise, and my takeover will feel more complete than it is!"

Eggman burst into evil laughter once again, while all Orbot could do was sigh in annoyance and leave him alone in his monitor room.

* * *

Away from all of that, Sonic and Tails were once again racing each other. They had gotten themselves warmed up and ready to go after waking up the moment they could see the sun rising over Windy Hill. Once they were ready and had eaten some breakfast, they had set straight off to their 'extra special' destination for their final vacation day.

Right now, the two brothers were racing each other on hoverboards made by Tails. They had sped out of Windy Hill within two minutes and were soon flying over the ocean once again, much to Sonic's nervousness. Even on a hoverboard, the hedgehog would worry about falling off, especially when he didn't have a lot of knowledge on the boards compared to Tails.

"Betcha can't keep up for long!" said Sonic as he sped ahead of Tails.

"Oh yeah!? Well, check this out!" replied Tails as he jumped over Sonic with his board and splashed down ahead of him.

Sonic jerked his board to the left to avoid being splashed on.

"I'm amazed these things even work on water!" commented Sonic nervously.

"Because I really put some power into these things!" replied Tails with a grin.

Sonic caught up with Tails and pulled alongside him, only for Tails to boost himself to full power, prompting Sonic to do the same.

The two brothers raced side-by-side with nothing separating them whatsoever.

"How fast do you think we're going, buddy?" asked Sonic in his curiosity.

"If you're really wondering how long we'll be out in open sea, we're traveling at probably two hundred miles per hour!" answered Tails with a grin of impression.

Sonic was shocked to hear this.

"Two hundred miles per hour!? What if we lose control while going this fast, or what if land just pops out of nowhere!?" complained Sonic.

"Ha! You really shouldn't worry, Sonic! A hydroplane could go much faster than this on water!" said Tails.

"No wonder I don't ever wanna ride one of those!" said Sonic as the thought of hydroplanes nearly made him seasick.

"Besides, I know how to slow these things down in the blink of an eye," added Tails confidently.

"If you say so, buddy!" replied Sonic.

The duo spent the next ten minutes traveling on the water, in the direction of their next destination. Sonic nearly panicked several times as he nearly lost balance on his hoverboard, but he managed to keep his cool the whole time he raced Tails.

Soon, ahead came the sight of a place that was very familiar to Sonic's eyes, and had been for nearly all his life. It was the place where it all started for him. It was the place where he first came face-to-face with Eggman. It was the place he could recognize from so far away.

"Green Hill?" he whispered to himself as his eyes gazed at the famous landmark.

"Well, Sonic, surprised!?" asked Tails as he stared at the land that lied ahead.

"I haven't visited this place in quite a long time. I really wanted to come here again," replied Sonic.

"Well, hang on, Sonic! This is gonna be one heck of a ride!" shouted Tails excitedly.

The land slowly approached the two brothers as they sped towards it on their hoverboards. Sonic could feel his heart pumping with pride as he prepared to set foot on the place where his first adventure started.

"_Wow! Tails really does know how to put a smile on my face!" _thought Sonic as the land drew nearer and nearer, _"I'll be thanking him a million times after this!"_

Finally, the two brothers approached the coastline of sand that separated the land from the ocean, but they refused to slow down. They knew this place very well.

The duo brought their hoverboards out of the water and up onto the sand before they blasted onto the grassy turf at high speed.

Sonic's attention was instantly brought to the familiar green grass and checkered brown soil as he and Tails sped down the famous pathway. Small mountains and waterfalls surrounded the area, along with palm trees.

**(A/N: I guess you could say it's the "Sonic Generations" look.)**

"Whaddaya think, Sonic? You can tell I had something special in mind last night!" commented Tails.

"You're a genius even on a personal side of things!" replied Sonic in a chuckle, "Thanks a lot, Tails!"

"You're more than welcome, brother!" giggled Tails as Sonic pulled alongside him again.

The two looked at each other briefly and exchanged grins while pumping each others' fists while they had a few seconds to do so.

Then came the moment they had anticipated since coming here …

The famous Green Hill Shuttle Loop! Speeding down this would be more like the corkscrew on a roller coaster!

Sonic's heart pounded even faster as he gazed at the Shuttle Loop he once thought he would not see again for years.

"This is it, Tails! Ready for a real ride!?" said Sonic.

"I'm more ready than I ever have been!" answered Tails.

The two brothers kept their hoverboards at full power and built up as much speed as they could before approaching the Loop.

"Here we go!" shouted Tails.

The grassy surface tilted upward as the brothers began speeding up the Loop. They could instantly feel their adrenaline pumping as they reached the top of the loop, upside down.

"YEEAAAH, HAAA! THIS IS AWESOME!" screamed Tails thrillingly.

In another few seconds, they found themselves facing the ground as the last quarter of the Loop brought them to the other side. As they reached the end of the Loop, Sonic was extremely astounded by what had just happened.

"Your hoverboards can run on Shuttle Loops!?" said Sonic.

"YUP!" answered Tails joyously.

The two happily slapped each others' hands as they left the Shuttle Loop and continued down what was left of the pathway, until Tails noticed that his hoverboard was beginning to slow down.

"My board's slowing down," said Tails.

"So is mine," replied Sonic, "Think they might need a recharge or something?"

"It's okay, Sonic. Wherever we'll stop, I'll plug them into my portable charger. I brought it with me in case we stopped at some place where there wouldn't be any source of electricity," explained Tails.

"You always come prepared, don't ya?" commented Sonic with strange thoughts in his head; strange thoughts about Tails always having something with him, no matter what the situation was.

"I guess you could put it that way," replied Tails.

As the duo found the end of the pathway approaching, they finally set the brakes on their hoverboards and gradually brought them to a complete stop right on the edge between the grassy pathway and some more checkered brown soil.

"Whew!" said Tails with sweat running down his face, "What a workout!"

"You said it, buddy! I'm all worn out, too!" replied Sonic, also sweating.

The brothers stepped off their hoverboards and shut them off before setting them on the ground. Tails then took his backpack off and pulled his portable charger out, then, he pulled a cable out from each of the hoverboards. Finally, he plugged the two cables into the charger, and the hoverboards' red lights turned on.

"Uh, those red lights, Tails?" asked Sonic curiously, nervously hoping that this "red" didn't mean anything bad.

"It means they're charging," explained Tails.

"How long will it take to charge up both of those things?" asked Sonic.

"It should take up to an hour or so," answered Tails, "These batteries will only last about an hour on a single charge."

"Okay," replied Sonic, "Why don't we sit down and relax for a little while, buddy?"

"Sure, buddy. I've gotten plenty of exercise this morning," said Tails.

The two brothers sat down on some more fresh green grass and gazed at the natural wonders of Green Hill.

"This really caught me by surprise," said Sonic, "I was only beginning to think that I wouldn't see Green Hill again in years."

"Well, I kinda had that in mind while I was dreaming last night," said Tails, "I know how special Green Hill is to you, and if anywhere could be the special place to finish our vacation before going home, it could only be Green Hill. I pictured you and me speeding down a series of Shuttle Loops, even if there's only one here."

"A series of Shuttle Loops would be as thrilling as pounding Eggman to the dust!" chuckled Sonic, "I haven't been on one in quite a while."

"Well, I guess it'll be a while before you say that again," commented Tails.

"Oh, Tails! You wonderful little guy! Come here, you!" said Sonic, pulling Tails onto his lap for a playful hug.

"Ah! Sonic!" giggled Tails as he felt his big brother's arm pulling him onto his lap by surprise, "You're such a fun-loving hedgehog these days!"

"Especially when I'm with you," added Sonic, "Whenever we're alone together and there's nothing else in the world to worry about, there's nothing better than having fun with you, little bro."

Tails grinned as his heart filled with happiness after hearing those words.

"Aww, Sonic, you're such a wonderful big brother," said Tails cutely as he wrapped his two namesakes around Sonic's back to return the hug.

"Aww, thanks, Tails. You're such a wonderful little brother, too," replied Sonic.

Tails's white muzzle blushed bright red from the brotherly love Sonic was giving him.

"I love you, Sonic," said Tails.

"I love you, too, Tails," replied Sonic.

The two smiled at each other warmly as Sonic tightened his hug around Tails' chest, earning some adorable chuckles from the fox.

"Think you'll be ready to work on that stuff tomorrow once we get home, Tails?" asked Sonic.

Inside, Tails was feeling so ready to start working again, but as much as he loved working on machines, he especially loved spending brotherly time with Sonic.

"Well, Sonic, as much as I feel somewhat ready to work on my UT replacement again, I feel just as happy being with you," the young fox answered, "Ever since we met … that day on West Side Island, my life has been so happy. No one had ever been so nice to me as long as I could remember … until we met," said Tails as he remembered his troubled past prior to meeting Sonic, "You complete my life, Sonic. I would never find another best friend … nor could I ever find a friend as heartwarming as you."

Sonic blushed happily as he listened to Tails' story. He vividly remembered everything that had happened that day.

"You know, Tails, the moment I first saw you, I knew you were special. Having two tails, even today, is a special thing for you, even if others don't take it very well," said Sonic.

Tails looked up at Sonic, who flashed a warm grin at his little brother.

"Once you told me that others made fun of you, I knew you needed more than just a friend," Sonic continued, "As much as I was thinking of having a good friend, I knew you needed one, too. That's why I didn't just take you in as my best friend and my sidekick, … but also as my little brother, Tails. The way you'd look up to me made me realize you needed a brotherly figure in your life, and I knew then that I needed a friend, … especially one who was a skilled mechanic. I could never have found another best friend who was as wonderful as you."

Tails smiled adorably as his cheeks continued to blush.

"All of those reasons are why you complete my life, too, Tails," finished Sonic.

"Aww, Sonic," chuckled Tails adorably.

"I love you so much, Tails, my little fox brother," said Sonic.

"I love you so much, too, Sonic, my big hedgehog brother," replied Tails.

"No matter what happens, I'll always look after you, pal, even once it's your time to start looking after yourself. I'll always be there … for you," said Sonic.

Tails smiled a bigger smile and leaked a few happy tears from his eyes; tears of brotherly love.

"I'm so glad we got to go on this vacation together," cried Tails happily.

"Me, too, buddy," replied Sonic gently, "Me, too."

"I'm sure that once we get home tomorrow, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks will be wanting to hear everything about our wonderful time together," said Tails.

Hearing those names suddenly brought more thoughts to Sonic's mind.

"Speaking of which, … I think we should call them and check on how they're doing," suggested Sonic.

"Sure thing. I'll get my cell phone out," replied Tails.

The fox reached for his backpack and pulled it towards them, then he dug his hand in and felt around for his cell phone until he pulled it out.

"I sure hope they're still taking good care of my place," said Tails, "I told them to keep looking after it in case anything more could happen."

"I'm sure they're doing a wonderful job," said Sonic.

Tails turned his phone on and dialed his own Bygone Island house number.

"Okay, it's ringing," said Tails as he brought the phone to his right ear, "Should get something soon."

However, … another twenty seconds went by, … and no response came before Tails' voice was heard from his answering machine.

"_Hello there. You've reached the residence of Miles "Tails" Prower. I'm busy with some important work at this time, so please leave a message after the beep and I'll call you back just as soon as I can."_

A beep was heard an instant later, much to Tails' confusion. How could nobody be there to answer the phone?

The fox took a deep breath and spoke into his own home phone, hoping that someone would be there to receive it.

"Hello, guys. It's Tails. Sonic and I were just calling to check in on things. We hope you're having a good time, and we'll be back again first thing tomorrow morning. Have a nice day, and call us back soon," said Tails before pushing the "End Call" button on his phone.

"Nobody?" asked Sonic in confusion.

"Nobody," answered Tails.

"Try Amy's house," said Sonic.

"Okay," replied Tails nervously as he dialed Amy's number.

Several more rings were heard before yet another answering machine spoke in.

"_Hi, you've reached Amy Rose. I'm not home right now, so please leave a message and I'll call you back soon," _said Amy's voice on the machine, followed by another beep.

Tails sighed in disappointment and spoke again …

"Hi, Amy. It's Tails. Sonic and I just wanted to see how you and the others are doing. Call us back when you get a chance, okay? Talk to ya soon. Bye."

Tails ended the call again, leaving both him and Sonic extremely confused.

"What's going on? Why isn't anyone receiving our calls?" asked Sonic nervously.

"I wish I knew why," answered Tails, "I think I'll try yours. Maybe one of them's checking on your shack right now."

"I hope," sighed Sonic as he watched Tails dial Sonic's house number.

A few more rings were heard, but Tails' hopes were dashed when his big brother's voice was heard on his own answering machine …

"_Hi, you've reached Sonic the Hedgehog's place. I'm out and about, running at supersonic speed right now, so if you could leave a message, it would be greatly appreciated. I'll call you back soon."_

For once, hearing his own voice brought Sonic's heart into extreme nervousness.

Tails knew it would be pointless to bring a message to Sonic's place, since he was sitting on Sonic's lap right now, and they had been together on this vacation for more than two days now.

Instead of leaving another message, Tails ended the call just as the beep on Sonic's machine went off.

"This is ridiculous," said Tails as he grew worried, "Where the heck are they?"

"This can't be a good sign, buddy," said Sonic, patting Tails' chest to keep him calm.

"You, me and Amy are the only ones with house phones, and if nobody's there to answer any of them, then this could mean trouble in some way," said Tails.

"Maybe we could just give them a few minutes and try again," suggested Sonic, "Maybe they're still asleep on your couch."

Tails nodded his head and sighed to relax himself.

"Okay, buddy," the fox replied calmly.

Their worries were soon thrown away by the sound of Tails' phone, with its "Believe In Myself" ring tone.

"Oh, thank goodness!" said Tails.

"This must be good news," added Sonic as Tails pressed the "answer" button and brought the phone to his ear once again.

"Hello?" the fox greeted.

"Um, hello," came a rather unfamiliar voice, much to Tails' confusion.

"Uh, … who is this?" asked Tails, feeling dumbfounded.

"Well, … actually, … you're speaking to a beaver who's unfortunately suffered from extreme cowardice," the voice replied.

"_Fastidious Beaver," _thought Tails, realizing who it was.

"Well, why did you call me, then?" the fox asked.

"Actually, I'll just hang up instead of being such a bother to you," replied Fastidious Beaver.

"No, no, it's okay. Is there something you wanted to tell me?" said Tails, trying to keep the beaver calm.

"Actually, I was ordered to call you. He wanted to tell you that there's something waiting for you on your couch table."

"Well, we'll be home first thing tomorrow morning," said Tails, before more thoughts spurred into his head, "Wait a minute. Did you just say there's something on my couch table?"

"Actually, he wants you to read it the first thing after you come back home," said Fastidious Beaver.

"Who?" asked Tails.

"Actually, he told me that he wished to remain anonymous," added Fastidious Beaver.

"Can you even describe him?" asked Tails, feeling desperate for information.

"Actually, it's a tall man with a brown mustache and a red jacket."

* * *

_**Uh, oh. It looks like things are about to take a sudden twist. How will Sonic and Tails react to this distress call?**_

_**I really wanted to keep Green Hill a surprise until this chapter was written, so that it would feel more exciting on speaking terms.**_

_**Anyways, time for me to head to the store. I'll be back later this week for when Sonic and Tails return home from their vacation. Hopefully, things won't go so bad upon their return.**_

_**See ya in chapter 11!**_


	11. The Distress Call

_**Hi, everyone! I've made it through my first test of the semester, and I'm finally back for more SonTails brotherly fluff, … or, should I say, … suspense after an unexpected distress call! Will Sonic and Tails make it back home in time?**_

* * *

_Their worries were soon thrown away by the sound of Tails' phone, with its "Believe In Myself" ring tone._

"_Oh, thank goodness!" said Tails._

"_This must be good news," added Sonic as Tails pressed the "answer" button and brought the phone to his ear once again._

"_Hello?" the fox greeted._

"_Um, hello," came a rather unfamiliar voice, much to Tails' confusion._

"_Uh, … who is this?" asked Tails, feeling dumbfounded._

"_Well, … actually, … you're speaking to a beaver who's unfortunately suffered from extreme cowardice," the voice replied._

"_Fastidious Beaver," thought Tails, realizing who it was._

"_Well, why did you call me, then?" the fox asked._

"_Actually, I'll just hang up instead of being such a bother to you," replied Fastidious Beaver._

"_No, no, it's okay. Is there something you wanted to tell me?" said Tails, trying to keep the beaver calm._

"_Actually, I was ordered to call you. He wanted to tell you that there's something waiting for you on your couch table."_

"_Well, we'll be home first thing tomorrow morning," said Tails, before more thoughts spurred into his head, "Wait a minute. Did you just say there's something on my couch table?"_

"_Actually, he wants you to read it the first thing after you come back home," said Fastidious Beaver._

"_Who?" asked Tails._

"_Actually, he told me that he wished to remain anonymous," added Fastidious Beaver._

"_Can you even describe him?" asked Tails, feeling desperate for information._

"_Actually, it's a tall man with a brown mustache and a red jacket."_

Tails gasped and nearly dropped his phone. His heart nearly stopped as he realized whom Fastidious Beaver had just referred to. The fox's eyes were as wide as ever, his mouth was open with shock and his body was practically motionless.

"What is it, buddy?" asked Sonic, worrying for his brother.

"E-E-E-Eggman!" shouted Tails as he shook in panic on Sonic's lap.

"What about Eggman, Tails?" said Sonic as he cuddled Tails tightly.

"Sonic, … it's not good at all," said Tails as his heart raced even faster.

"What's wrong?"

"Actually, I'll just hang up and leave you to settle for the rest of your relaxing vacation. Sadly, who knows how long this island will last without you?" spoke Fastidious Beaver on Tails' phone before a static went off, indicating that he had hung up.

Tails nervously pressed the "End Call" button on his phone, and he began to take deep breaths in panic.

"Tails, what was that call all about?" asked a worried Sonic.

"Sonic, … a beaver just mentioned that there's something Eggman left on my couch table," replied Tails, "He wants me to come home and read it."

Hearing that forced Sonic to take a small gasp. He knew this was never a good sign.

"Man, that idiot never rests, does he!?" the hedgehog shouted.

"The beaver even mentioned that the island may not last much longer," added Tails, "This was a distress call!"

Sonic's heart nearly stopped.

"He couldn't have possibly taken advantage of us being away from home, did he?" asked Tails worryingly as he got off Sonic's lap, put his cell phone back into his backpack and unplugged the hoverboards from the charger.

"No time to jump into any immediate conclusions just yet, pal," replied Sonic as he jumped onto his blue hoverboard, "We gotta get home … and fast! Our home may be in great danger!"

"I sure hope it's nothing we can't handle!" said Tails as he put the charger in his backpack, slid his backpack on and jumped onto his orange hoverboard.

With their hearts racing with worry for the safety of their friends and their home, the two brothers quickly turned their hoverboards on and sped back onto the pathway, going in the opposite direction where they came from.

Once again, the duo enjoyed the thrill of speeding up the Shuttle Loop, but it didn't quite feel as thrilling. This wasn't just for fun. This was for a real purpose. They had to rush home quickly. Who knew what could happen if they were too late?

Within just a few minutes, Sonic and Tails had jumped off the coast of Green Hill and were once again floating over the ocean at high speed.

Sonic was again worrying for his own life as he found himself once again just inches above a giant body of water and no land ahead for miles. This _**was **_always his worst nightmare.

"Can't … lose … balance," the hedgehog whispered to himself as he kept his eyes fixed on what was ahead, which still appeared to be nothing.

He turned to Tails.

"How long do you think we'll stay above the open sea, buddy? I sure hope Bygone Island isn't far," said Sonic.

Tails turned on his wrist gadget and activated a radar.

The fox brought his wrist to his face as he kept one eye on what was ahead and the other eye on his radar.

On the green circular radar screen, Tails noticed a familiar-shaped island which appeared to be just two horizontal lines away from where they were. He looked at the distance markers and found that each line marked a distance of 25 miles.

"_Fifty miles," _thought Tails nervously as he turned his wrist gadget off and brought his main focus back to his "surfing".

"Bygone Island's fifty miles away!" Tails called to Sonic, much to the hedgehog's dismay.

"How fast are we going again?" asked Sonic in a dreadful tone.

"Two hundred miles per hour!" answered Tails, "That means we'll be there in about fifteen minutes!"

"I'm not sure if I can take another quarter of an hour out in this blue wilderness!" complained Sonic.

"Don't worry, Sonic! Fifteen minutes doesn't sound like too much for these hoverboards!" said Tails reassuringly.

But only ten minutes later, there was worse to come …

"Fifteen miles left," said Tails, "It'll just be another five minutes."

Suddenly, an alarm went off on Tails' hoverboard.

The fox heard the alarm and looked down at his board.

A red light next to the battery compartment was blinking.

Tails was extremely shocked.

"Oh, no!" yelled Tails, "My battery's running out of power!"

Just then, Sonic's battery alarm went off, too.

"So is mine!" the hedgehog panicked, "What are we gonna do, Tails!?"

Sonic's heart was skipping beats as he feared for the worst. He and Tails were going to drown in the middle of the ocean any minute. Their hoverboards were going to sink, and nobody was there to help them.

Tails could see Bygone Island ahead.

"Just fourteen miles left," he said nervously.

The boards began to slow down. One moment, they were going two hundred miles per hour. Suddenly, they were traveling at 170 miles per hour.

"We're losing speed!" called Sonic.

"I should've let these charge a little longer!" said Tails, scolding himself, "What was I thinking!?"

"Don't take it so hard on yourself, buddy," replied Sonic, "We'll get there, … I hope."

Thirteen miles to go, 150 miles per hour.

"Let's add a little extra boost, … if there's any available," suggested Tails.

"Uh, … okay," agreed Sonic reluctantly.

Tails pushed the "Boost" button on his hoverboard, … but none would spray out.

"It's not working!" screamed Tails.

Sonic tried his "Boost" button …

"Mine's not working, either!" the hedgehog yelled.

Twelve miles to go, 135 miles per hour.

"Don't you have any other ideas, buddy?" Sonic asked Tails.

"That's the last one I can come up with other than adjusting the power limiters," replied Tails with sweat running down his face.

"Wouldn't that slow us down even more!? It'll take us even longer to get off this ocean!" said Sonic, feeling reluctant about the idea.

"It may be our last resort, Sonic. Time advantage or not, we must do this!" said Tails as he adjusted his power limiter to 70%.

Sonic did the same thing.

Eleven miles to go, … one hundred miles per hour.

Ten miles to go, … sixty miles per hour.

"I think these boards aren't gonna survive the rest of the journey," said Sonic.

Then, …

"I'M SINKING!" screamed Sonic.

Tails looked back and gasped in horror.

Sonic's board had sunk into the ocean, pulling the frightened hedgehog down with him.

"TAILS! HELP ME! I CAN'T SWIM!" the hedgehog roared in terror as the water rose up to his chest.

"SONIC!" screamed Tails as he turned his hoverboard around and floated towards his big brother.

The fox stretched his arms out and offered his hands to Sonic.

"Gimme your hand!" shouted Tails.

Sonic tried to reach for Tails' hands, but the weight of his hoverboard quickly pulled him further down into the ocean, … until the hedgehog was completely sunken underwater.

"SONIC! NO!" screamed Tails in horror as he shut off his hoverboard and dived down into the ocean.

The fox held his breath and spun his twin tails as hard as he could to reach his drowning brother.

Sonic slowly opened one of his eyes and caught a brief glimpse of Tails swimming towards him.

Then, … pitch black.

Next thing he knew, he could feel something holding onto his chest. In his mind, he could only guess it to be a vicious octopus or a shark wanting to eat him. All he could think now was that he was going to die right then and there. He could ponder no other thoughts than seeing himself among those lost at sea.

Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted out of the water by something.

As soon as air began to enter his lungs again, Sonic began coughing all of the water out of his throat as the sunlight disturbed his eyes.

The hedgehog turned his head away from the sun and slowly opened his eyes.

He saw that he was floating in midair, fifty yards above the ocean. He looked ahead and found that Bygone Island was drawing nearer and nearer.

"Sonic?" said a voice just above his head.

Sonic recognized that voice immediately.

"T-Tails?" the hedgehog spoke weakly.

"Saved your life again, buddy," said Tails.

Tails had pulled Sonic out of the water with his twin tails, and was now gliding over the ocean to complete their journey back home, carrying Sonic with him.

"Are you okay, big bro?" asked Tails worryingly.

"I'm okay, little bro," said Sonic, "Thanks a lot."

"Don't mention it," replied Tails with a wink.

Sonic returned the wink as Tails kept on propelling them back to Bygone Island, which was now just a few miles ahead.

Tails was determined to get them home, even if his twin tails would wear out again, just as they did when they landed on Angel Island to start their vacation. Sure, he was unhappy that their vacation had to end abruptly, but he felt ready to tackle Eggman again … for the first time in weeks.

It took several more minutes for Tails to finally reach the coast of Bygone Island, the stress on his tails nearly forcing him to drop to the ocean again, with nearly jolted Sonic once more, but the fox was ultimately successful at bringing their shadows off the surface of the ocean and onto the yellowish sand of the beach where Sonic's shack was situated.

"Whew! Home sweet home," commented Sonic as Tails stopped spinning his tails and brought them down to the sand.

The hedgehog pulled the straps off his hoverboard and lifted it just before his feet touched the ground.

"Man! That was exhausting!" panted Tails as he released Sonic and jumped off his hoverboard.

"Better drink something quickly, little buddy. Wanna have some energy if Eggman's up to no good," replied Sonic.

"I will," promised Tails.

The duo put their hoverboards back into their backpacks and sealed them shut.

Then, the hedgehog picked up his fox brother and carried him on his back, then he started running through the forest at his supersonic speed.

"Better make sure your place is okay!" said Sonic.

"It had better be!" replied Tails as his heart began to beat faster again, with worry about his home.

Within seconds, Sonic's speed had brought them right to the front door of Tails' house.

The fox jumped off Sonic's back and ran straight to his workshop door.

"Hey! Where are ya going!?" called Sonic with concern.

"I gotta see if my workshop's okay!" Tails called back before opening his workshop door.

The fox peaked into the workshop, and, much to his surprise, … everything was perfectly okay, as if nothing had been touched over the last two days.

"Hmm, everything looks okay," Tails said with a calm tone, "Maybe, I better take a closer look at everything and make sure nothing suspicious is going on here."

Tails walked around his workshop and searched through every drawer and every tool chest. Then, he jumped onto the Tornado and checked every inch of the cockpit, including the controls.

"Everything appears to be just fine," said Tails as he jumped off his plane and headed out the door.

As the fox closed the workshop door and ran back to his house's front door, Sonic was still waiting anxiously for him.

"Workshop's still perfectly in order," said Tails, "Nothing suspicious in there."

"Okay, buddy. Good to hear," replied Sonic, patting Tails' back.

The fox opened the door and stepped into his living room, followed closely behind by Sonic, who closed the door behind them.

The two brothers slid their backpacks off and set them on the couch table, where a black envelope with Eggman's red symbol was sitting.

The duo noticed the envelope and gasped.

"This must be what the beaver was referring to," recalled Tails.

As the fox opened his backpack and pulled out the six "Sonic X" DVDs they had purchased at Station Square, Sonic took the envelope and slowly tore it open.

Just as Tails set the DVDs on the shelf below his TV, Sonic gasped, much to Tails' shock.

"What is it, Sonic? What's in that envelope?" asked Tails with a look of worry on his face.

"I don't know if you wanna read this or not, … because I don't wanna read this, either," said Sonic as he held the note in front of Tails.

The fox cautiously took the letter with a shaking hand and stared into it.

"What the heck is this?" Tails said as his eyes grew wide in horror.

"Don't ask me," replied Sonic.

Tails reluctantly began to read the note …

"_Sonic and Tails:_

_How are you two doing on your fine vacation? Perhaps such a lazy idea to do so. Did you really think it would be so nice to take some time off just so you could help yourself in regaining self-confidence? Well, you just might regret such an idea. I have captured every living soul on this island, including your closest friends, and I have the perfect new robot that is more than prepared to exterminate you upon your arrival, should you dare infiltrate my lair at your own risk! If you once thought that heroes don't take vacations, that certainly is correct! I'm never resting, fools! Even if you're away, I'm always at full swing with my schemes to take over your miserable little island and destroy you! Have fun while you can, because soon you'll be dedicating the rest of your lives to regretting your stupidity! Vacations are nothing more than an excuse for lazy people to sit on their butts and weaken themselves to the point where they're nothing more than big sacks of potatoes! Oh, and Tails, good luck on your mechanical stupidity upon your return. NOT! You wouldn't stand a chance, and neither will you, Sonic! You two have proven yourselves the worst fools on Bygone Island, and even your friends may be willing to take it out on you for leaving them helplessly behind with no one to protect them!_

_Sincerely and evilly yours,_

_Doctor Ivo Robotnik (a.k.a. Doctor Eggman)"_

Sonic and Tails looked at each other with distraught faces. They could only ponder such depressing thoughts after realizing that the worst had happened.

"_Eggman **did** take advantage of us being gone," _thought Tails as he lazily walked over to the couch and sat down like a lousy couch potato.

"_What was I thinking, leaving everyone behind like this?" _thought Sonic sadly, _"I've just made one of the worst decisions of my life right here. Few will ever forgive us after this."_

Sonic sat down next to Tails on the couch, then the two looked at each other with disturbingly unhappy faces. They couldn't even speak to each other. They couldn't find the right words to put in. All they could do was sit in silence and suffer from the negative thoughts that filled up their minds.

Then, after four minutes, Sonic finally broke the silence …

"Tails, … this is my fault," the hedgehog said, "Perhaps, I was right in believing that heroes don't take vacations. The whole thing was my idea in the first place. I was so foolish that night. I'm so sorry, buddy. I've let everyone down."

Tails thought over what Sonic had said, … then he remembered that he had spent six straight days of endless work in his workshop with no rest.

"No, Sonic," said Tails, "The fault is mine."

"Tails?" said Sonic in shock.

"I'll take the blame," added Tails.

"What? Tails, don't," said Sonic, "You'll only make yourself feel worse."

"I spent six days in the workshop with no rest, … because I was struggling to come up with a replacement for UT. Like I said, ever since Sticks threw UT into the sea, I had been working desperately for days, trying to come up with a good replacement."

"Then, you're not to blame for that," said Sonic.

"Yes, I am. I was the one who built UT in the first place. Eggman had spied on us and came up with a plan to cause further tension between us. Sticks got mad because she hated the way UT could read peoples' minds. Sonic, … this is completely my fault!" finished Tails, "I'm the one who should be sorry!"

Tears began to stream from Tails' eyes as he gradually fell into an emotional breakdown.

"I'm taking the blame, Sonic! I deserve it!" the fox cried as he finally collapsed right into Sonic's lap and bawled onto his chest.

Sonic gently lifted his little brother into a situp position and cradled him into a bear hug.

"Tails?" whispered Sonic.

"Go ahead and be mad at me, Sonic," sobbed Tails miserably.

Sonic's heart fell deeply for his brother as he heard him cry horribly.

"Tails, … I'm not mad at you," said Sonic.

"Why aren't you mad at me?" asked Tails as his crying grew worse.

"Tails, … my little brother," continued Sonic, "I know no mechanical genius who is one hundred percent perfect. Everyone makes mistakes every once in a while, little buddy. You shouldn't be so torn up because your inventions haven't been doing so well lately. You just have to take a little breather and spend a little more time thinking about it before you keep fiddling with your tools. The more you think about it, the more likely you'll succeed, pal. I'll always have faith in you, Tails."

Tails finally looked up at Sonic, but he could only let out more tears instead of a grin, even if it was the faintest grin.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Tails," added Sonic, "Think about the bright side of things. The vacation helped you out with your self-confidence, didn't it? Do you feel any better about your self-confidence now than you did before we left?"

Tails could suddenly feel a happy thought in his head. He could picture himself walking right up to Doctor Eggman and taking a stand against him and his robots, with Sonic by his side.

"You know, Sonic, … I somehow feel a little better after hearing that," the fox replied weakly as tears continued to mess up his face.

"We've relaxed in the many peaceful places we planned to visit, we got plenty of exercise while at it, and we got plenty of time to ourselves while we could. I'm sure that after a few days of rest and exercise, you'll be ready to fight Eggman and his lackey robots," said Sonic.

Tails could feel Sonic's words warming up his chest. His heart began to pound with determination for redemption; not just for himself, but for Sonic, too. Every second, the fox felt more ready to jump into his Tornado and blast Eggman's lair to smithereens.

"Sonic, … your presence always seems to encourage me at times like these," said Tails as he finally stopped crying so hard, "There's no other way for me to describe the way our togetherness takes my sadness away and replaces it with happiness."

Sonic grinned at Tails and stroked his hair affectionately.

"Even at times like these, you're such a wonderful big brother, Sonic," added Tails, "I love you so much, big brother."

"Aww, Tails, I love you so much, too, little brother," replied Sonic as he tightened his hug on Tails.

"I'm sorry I took this so harshly. I shouldn't have done that. I was just so mad that I wanted to knock myself out," said Tails.

"Now, Tails, let's not put anymore negative thoughts into this matter, okay, bud?" said Sonic.

"I'll try, buddy," replied Tails.

"Why don't we have a little something to quench ourselves before we take this to Eggman?" offered Sonic.

Hearing that suddenly forced Tails to stick his tongue out and lick his lips. He felt so thirsty for a drink. They hadn't had anything to eat or drink since they left Windy Hill this morning. Given that they were home now, Tails could help himself to anything he could possibly think of.

"I'll go look in my refrigerator right now," said Tails as Sonic wiped the tears off his brother's face.

The fox jumped off Sonic's lap and ran over to his refrigerator. He quickly opened the door and searched every shelf until he found something that looked very promising as a REAL thirst quencher …

"Sonic Power Drink! This oughta do it!" said Tails eccentrically as he pulled the can labeled "SONIC POWER DRINK" from the second shelf and closed the refrigerator.

Sonic heard Tails mention the name of the drink, and he got himself off the sofa and sped into the kitchen, where Tails was already pouring said drink into two glass cups.

"Wow, Tails! You really are prepared for just about anything, aren't ya!?" commented Sonic joyfully.

Tails finished pouring the cups up to the brim with "Sonic Power Drink" and grinned at his big brother.

"There's nothing I'm not prepared for!" the fox replied happily, "Just a few sips of this, and Eggman won't stand a chance!"

"I hear ya, buddy!" said Sonic as he took one of the cups.

"Cheers!" said Tails.

"Cheers!" replied Sonic.

The two brothers tipped their cups against each other and brought them to their mouths.

Within just one huge gulp, each of them began to feel such wild sensations in their bodies that made them feel a little stronger both physically and mentally.

"Ooh yeah! I feel like the strongest two-tailed fox on Mobius right now!" said Tails happily as he finished his drink.

"I feel like I could run for many hours at a time!" added Sonic as he took his final sip.

"Come on, Sonic! Time ta bring Eggman down!" said Tails.

"Time to save our friends, too! We gotta bring this island back to peace!" said Sonic.

The brothers set their empty cups on the counter and pumped their fists together.

Then, with the new energy inside them, Sonic and Tails rushed out of the house and ran straight into Tails' workshop.

"Time to rev up the Tornado, Sonic!" shouted Tails as he gave Sonic a thumbs up.

"I'm right with you, buddy!" replied Sonic.

Tails spun his twin tails and propelled himself into the Tornado's cockpit, while Sonic jumped on one of the plane's wings.

"Ready to go, Tails!?" called Sonic as he looked down into the cockpit.

Tails turned the ignition switch, and the Tornado's engines quickly burst into life for the first time in many days.

"Good to go, Sonic!" the fox called back as he pressed another button which lifted the huge garage-like door of the workshop up so that the plane could fly out into the open area, "HERE WE GO!"

Finally, Tails opened the throttle, and the Tornado quickly sped out of the workshop, past the house, and it gained height as it rocketed over the ocean towards Eggman's lair.

* * *

_**This may be the end of their vacation, but these two brothers won't be resting until redemption is gained. Will Sonic and Tails succeed in defeating Eggman and saving Bygone Island?**_

_**We'll be finding out in chapter twelve! See ya then! :)**_


	12. Doctor Eggman

_**This is it! It's time for our ultimate confrontation of this remarkable story!**_

_**Sonic and Tails vs. Dr. Eggman; coming right up!**_

* * *

Sonic and Tails flew the Tornado over the ocean as quickly as the Tornado's engines could allow them to. Within moments after leaving Bygone Island, they could see Doctor Eggman's island fortress just a few miles ahead.

Sonic scanned the area surrounding the lair, and he could see nothing but a clear space in front of the front door.

"Well, Tails, it looks like we'll be breaking in big time!" called Sonic.

"Loud and clear, Sonic! We're going in!" replied Tails as he pointed the Tornado towards the entrance area.

Tails steadily slowed the plane down enough to allow the landing gear to activate, and he descended down towards the spacious area in front of the lair.

"I'm surprised Eggman hasn't sent any of his robots down there to keep us away," said Sonic.

"As if he's expecting us to come over and fall for another trap of his," added Tails as he activated the landing gear.

The Tornado slowly approached the lair, and the wheels made contact with the smooth surface of the entrance area just before Tails pulled the throttle back and stopped the plane.

"Time to give Eggman a piece of his own medicine!" said Tails as he climbed out of the cockpit.

"I hope you have your handy gadgets with you, buddy," replied Sonic as he jumped off the Tornado's wing.

"Oh, I've got them all in this tiny thing," said Tails as he showed Sonic his wrist gadget.

"That little thing?" asked Sonic in confusion, unable to understand how this tiny gadget could hold so much inside it.

"It's complicated to explain, but it's got a lot of weapons in it for when I'm not fighting on the Tornado," explained Tails.

"Okay, buddy," said Sonic, "Let's get 'em!"

The two brothers pumped their fists together and ran right up to the front door.

"Heh. Just because he didn't summon his robots to guard the entrance, doesn't mean we should expect him to open the front door as if we were his guests," said Tails.

"Well, ya never know until ya try, buddy," replied Sonic cheekily.

Tails gulped nervously and cautiously pushed the door open with his hands.

The door slowly swung open and revealed a dark, empty hallway.

"M-maybe, he was playing tricks," assumed Tails.

"We'll have to find out," replied Sonic.

The two brothers slowly walked through the doorway and crept down the hall as quietly as they could.

Then …

"_So, … Sonic and Tails have finally returned. I've been dying for this moment!"_ came a voice that echoed through the hallways.

The brothers quickly recognized that voice as Eggman's. This was enough to confirm them that this was no trick.

"He knows we're here," Sonic whispered to Tails.

"We're gonna have to split up and go through different hallways to find those poor creatures," replied Tails.

"Tails, as much as that idea sounds like a small advantage, I'd rather not go with it," said Sonic.

This caught Tails by surprise. This was the last thing he expected to hear from his big brother.

"What? How could we do this any other way?" said Tails worryingly.

"We're doing this together, pal. We've been through a good time over the last two days, now let's make it count. Besides, we're better off together than going separate ways," explained Sonic, "I wanna stick with you, Tails."

Tails looked up at Sonic and gave him a faint grin.

"We must stick together, Tails. It's for the best," finished Sonic as he placed his hands on Tails' shoulders.

Tails thought over Sonic's words and came to a conclusion that, after such a nice vacation, he should stick close to his brother and fight alongside him like a brotherly pair of fighters should.

"Okay, Sonic. I'll stick right by your side," said Tails.

"And I'll stick by your side, too, Tails," replied Sonic.

"Through thick and thin?" added Tails.

"Through thick and thin," agreed Sonic.

The brothers pumped their fists together again and continued down another hallway, hoping to meet up with their nemesis soon.

No sooner did they make it up to the second floor when an alarm suddenly went off.

"We've been detected!" said Tails worryingly.

"C'mon, buddy!" said Sonic, "We're doing this the hard way!"

Sonic ran up the stairs to the top floor, with Tails right behind him, as numerous robots began to chase them through the lair.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the prison cells, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks could hear the sound of the alarm going off. To their ears, it meant a sign of good news trying to relieve them.

"Sonic and Tails must be back," said Knuckles.

"Oh, I sure hope they're able to reach us without Eggman getting in their way!" added Amy.

The other inhabitants of Bygone overheard this and shouted with joy; the joy of their heroes' return.

"They're back!" yelled a beaver.

"Uh, why is everyone shouting like this in such a cold prison cell?" asked Sticks, feeling dumbfounded.

"Because they're overcome with joy that Sonic and Tails have returned to help us," answered Knuckles.

"They're back!?" replied Sticks excitedly, "Finally, a chance to kick some Egg butt!"

"Hopefully real soon," added Amy.

* * *

At that same moment, Sonic and Tails were approaching the control room for the prison cells, while Eggman's guards continued to pursue them. Sweat was pouring from their faces as they struggled to stay ahead of their pursuers. They wished that there was anywhere they could zip into for use as a hiding place, but there was nothing ahead of them but a stair-filled hallway and a metal door, which was locked. A control panel was right next to that door.

"We gotta find a way to get these robot cops off our backs!" said Sonic.

"I've got something!" replied Tails as he pressed a yellow button on his wristband and activated his laser gun.

"Take this, you metal body guards!" shouted Tails as he turned back and fired the laser gun at the pursuing robots.

The laser bounced off a robot's body and smashed into a control panel.

Seeing that the weapon was useless against the guards, Tails kept following Sonic as the chase resumed.

Little did Sonic and Tails know that the laser Tails had fired had overpowered the control panel and short-circuited it.

As the panel exploded, all of the prison cells finally opened and allowed free roaming for all who were inside, including Sonic and Tails' teammates.

"We're free at last!" shouted a weasel in happiness as he, plus many others, ran from their cell, followed by countless other inhabitants of Bygone Island.

Amy, Knuckles and Sticks were among the first to break out of the prison room, and they quickly met up with some of the guards that were chasing Sonic and Tails.

"HEY! LOOKING FOR US!?" screamed Knuckles.

That was enough to gain the attention of several robots, who turned back and glared angrily at the escaped prisoners.

Amy pulled out her Piko Piko Hammer and swung it at the angry robot.

The robot was thrown backwards and landed on several others, all of them landing on the floor with electrical sparks surrounding them.

"Not bad for a first hit after escaping such a dreadful place," commented Amy as she, Knuckles and Sticks began to follow Sonic and Tails up to Eggman's room.

No sooner did that happen when the two brothers finally banged open a door that led straight to the science lab of Doctor Eggman!

Sonic quickly fixed his eyes on the back of a tall man with an egg-shaped body and a red jacket.

"EGGMAN!" Sonic and Tails screamed together.

The evil scientist turned around and found his two archenemies glaring furiously at him.

"Well, … so, you decided to come back after all! How was your vacation?" said Eggman with an evil look on his face.

"Perfect until you ruined it for us!" yelled Tails angrily, "I'm still fed up about that note you left on my couch!"

"Well, what else could I do!? Heroes don't take vacations! Like I mentioned on my note, I'm never resting!" replied Eggman with a creepy grin.

"You'll consider resting once we're finished with you and your metal lackeys!" said Sonic.

Just then, they heard the sound of people screaming and yelling madly down below them, along with metal crashing against walls.

"You hear that!? We have your robots already preoccupied, and now it's just the three of us!" added Sonic.

"And soon the others will be joining us, and you won't stand a chance!" put in Tails.

"You really think I'm giving up right now?" said Eggman.

"You mind as well!" answered Sonic.

Just then, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks caught up with their leaders and glared at Eggman.

"It's five-on-one now, Eggman!" shouted Amy.

"What are you going to do? You've got no one to back you up!" added Knuckles.

"Prepare to taste the wrath of Sticks!" yelled Sticks.

Orbot and Cubot suddenly burst into the room.

"Our machine is ready, Doctor," informed Orbot.

"Perfect timing!" said Eggman joyously before turning back to Team Sonic, "Well, losers, I'd love to stay and chat a little longer, but I've got a nice present for you!"

The five heroes all stared at Eggman with confused looks on their faces, feeling rather dumbfounded.

"Whaddaya mean, machine!?" said Tails.

"Prepare to meet your 'new' worst nightmare, Team Sonic!" announced Eggman, "You'll be having terrible dreams for weeks once I have shown, before your very eyes, my latest weapon intended to destroy you all!"

"We're not afraid of any of your robots, Egg Head!" yelled Sonic.

"Oh, but you will in a minute, Sonic!" Eggman shot back before he ran towards a door and burst through before closing it, leaving Team Sonic with no chance of chasing their enemy.

Then, the entire lair began to rattle like an earthquake. Debris began to fall from the ceiling above the heroes as they struggled to stay on their feet.

The team rushed over to the window and watched in horror as a huge gap in the ground opened up, and a platform slowly rose up to the ground level.

On that platform was a giant robot that was about ten times the size of an Obliteratorbot. The robot was mostly red in color, except for black arms, a silver head and yellow feet. The robot's mouth had ginormous metal teeth that looked so much like the teeth of a shark. The eyes were about as red as blood. Both hands were made out of enormous, sharp claws that could penetrate a living creature's body and kill it within seconds. The chest was dominated by spikes, hundreds of machine guns and numerous other deadly weapons that Eggman could use all at the same time. The feet were highlighted by spiked claws on their toes.

"PREPARE TO MEET THE WRATH OF MY BRAND NEW … MONSTERBOT!" came Eggman's voice as the so-called Monsterbot activated its thrusters and lifted itself off the ground.

The giant monstrosity flew right up to the lab window and revealed Eggman laughing evilly in the cockpit on top of the Monsterbot's forehead.

Just then, the Monsterbot opened its mechanical mouth and let out a huge roar that shattered the window and nearly deafened the heroes. The volume of the roar even shook the lair and damaged it even more.

The five heroes ducked to the floor to avoid the flying shards of glass, and they covered their ears to protect their hearing.

Down below, the Bygone Island residents were screaming with horror as they saw the Monsterbot and heard the loud roar. They all panicked and ran into Eggman's capsules to escape back to their home island, … and ultimately to safety.

As soon as the deafening roar was over, the heroes got back on their feet and glared at the Monsterbot.

"You do realize that you're destroying your own island fortress with that!" protested Sonic.

"I don't care about my fortress as long as I have plenty of robots who can repair the damage once I've finally destroyed you and your team once and for all!" yelled Eggman from inside his Monsterbot, "Prepare to meet your sticky end, Team Sonic!"

With that, the Monsterbot rose its chest up to the window and began to fire its machine guns and plasma rifles at Team Sonic.

The bullets blasted around the lab and wrecked almost everything in the room within seconds.

"We gotta get outta this room!" yelled Sonic to his team.

The blue hedgehog instantly sped out of the ruins of Eggman's science lab, with his four friends following close behind.

"That thing looked like a giant wingless dragon or something!" said Amy as she freaked out.

"I don't wanna fall asleep for months!" complained Sticks.

"This is what happens after two heroes decided to take a vacation!" added Knuckles, much to the dismay of Sonic and Tails.

The two brothers glared angrily at their three friends.

"What?" said Knuckles, "I was just saying that-"

"You really think I came all the way here JUST TO HAVE MY SELF-CONFIDENCE DRAINED AGAIN!?" screamed Tails furiously.

"Whoa! Take it easy, Tails!" said Sonic.

"We took a few days off just so I could start feeling confident about my inventions and my gadgets again so that I could continue fighting like a top-level aerial fighter, and I get to hear you criticize our actions!?" shouted Tails, "Some friends you all tend to be!"

"Tails, we're really sorry!" said Amy with a sad look on your face, "We know you wanted some time off so that you could believe in yourself again, but others may look at it as a mistake by letting the welfare of others' get in harm's way of a villain who never rests."

"Oh yeah!? What do you all think of it, then!?" asked Tails, "You think we just deliberately gave Eggman an open door to take over Bygone Island while he builds a gigantic monster robot so that we could all be eaten alive!?"

Everyone stared at Tails with dumbfounded looks, including Sonic, much to the fox's annoyance. Here he was, ready to prove himself a hero again, only to be criticized by his team for taking a vacation. He felt that he was about to let himself be ridden with guilt all over again, but he wasn't going to let himself down again, and he especially wouldn't let his team down, most notably his big brother.

Then, he turned to Sonic.

"Well, Sonic, got anymore words that can back me up!?" he said.

Sonic sighed and looked nervously at their friends, then he took a deep breath and answered …

"Tails is right, guys. We made a move that was for the greater good of his well-being, so that we could be ready to fight Eggman if he had a scheme ready for us. This is no time for negative criticism. We must throw those negative thoughts away and put this behind us. We have an island to save, … and we have a giant robot to trash. Now, who's with us on wrecking Eggman's metal monstrosity!?"

The three allies were silent and still for several seconds, although for Sonic and Tails, it seemed as if time was slowing down as they waited for a response. It could only feel that their friends would turn them down for making such a bad mistake that could have cost them all their lives.

Finally, after what felt like ages of waiting, the brothers got their response.

Amy pulled out her Piko Piko Hammer again, Knuckles pumped his powerful fists, and Sticks pulled out her boomerang.

"This Monsterbot is about to taste the wrath of Team Sonic!" said Knuckles.

"That's more like it! Now, we have to figure out a way to destroy that robot!" said Sonic.

"Right, then! Let's go outside and see if that thing has a weak spot!" said Tails.

Without another word, the five heroes all ran downstairs to the ground floor and sped through the hallways until they made it out the front door.

They were just in time to see Monsterbot step in front of them and point its weapons at them.

"Everyone, look for a weak spot while we attack this thing!" commanded Sonic as Tails ran straight to his Tornado and jumped into the cockpit.

"Blue Leader, I'll keep an eye out from the sky for any weak spots!" said Tails on his radio.

"Got that, Yellow Sky! Fly like a reborn fighter, Tails!" replied Sonic in an encouraging tone.

Tails grinned at Sonic's reply, feeling happy to have heard such heartwarming words from his big brother, before he turned the ignition switch and pushed the throttle all the way forward.

The Tornado instantly fired its engines and sped off the entrance area before taking to the skies.

Sonic, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks ran up to the Monsterbot and began attacking the giant mechanical monster, starting with its feet, while Tails watched the battle from the cockpit of his Tornado, occasionally firing missiles at the Monsterbot from time to time in order to help his team.

* * *

_**And so, the final battle has begun! Who will triumph, and who will suffer? Find out in the climatic thirteenth chapter, where tactics really come in to play!**_


	13. Monsterbot

_**Came home early today to get a head start to the weekend, and now for the finest hour of this fanfic!**_

_**Enjoy this climatic showdown!**_

* * *

Within moments after confronting Monsterbot outside Doctor Eggman's lair, Team Sonic were immediately tempt on attacking it in any way possible. The four heroes on the ground started attacking the monster's legs, as there was no way that any of them could reach as high as the waist, except for Tails, who was in his Tornado, preparing to fire a missile at the robot's chest.

Sonic, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks constantly banged heads and weapons with Monsterbot's feet, but they could only do minor damage to the sharply-clawed toes. The entire robot was made out of metal that was as hard as a diamond, which meant that just about nothing could penetrate it.

Sonic performed a Spin Dash on Monsterbot's right ankle, but it did nothing to weaken it.

"These attacks are not working, guys!" yelled Sonic to his teammates.

Amy stood on the left foot and banged her Piko Piko Hammer against the shin, but, due to the toughness of Monsterbot's metal surface, the hammer cracked, forcing Amy to jump off and seek for cover as she could no longer battle.

However, just as Amy was about to hide behind a rock, Monsterbot's horrific, blood red eyes spotted her taking cover, and it fired a homing missile at her.

The pink hedgehog ducked behind the rock, … but it was too late …

The missile penetrated through the rock and struck Amy in the back, throwing her forwards and landing on her face.

"AMY!" screamed Knuckles as he witnessed Amy's defeat.

"What about Amy!?" said Sonic.

"Amy's been hurt! She's no longer in fighting condition! We've gotta get her to safety!" replied Knuckles.

The red echidna jumped off Monsterbot's left foot and rushed over to Amy's aid.

Meanwhile, Tails locked his target on a glowing red spot on Monsterbot's chest, and he finally pressed the "Fire" button.

"Blue Leader, jump off! I'm firing!" shouted Tails on his radio.

"Ten-four, little buddy!" replied Sonic on his wrist communicator.

He turned to Sticks, who was banging her boomerang against the robot's right shin.

"Sticks, jump off! Tails is firing!" shouted Sonic.

The blue hedgehog and the badger immediately jumped off the robot's foot and scurried about a hundred feet away, just as the missile approached the robot and successfully hit the glowing red spot which Tails had targeted.

Monsterbot growled in pain and took a few steps back, as Eggman was going berserk in the cockpit.

"NAAAAOOOO! COME ON! HOW CAN THIS THING POSSIBLY BE HARMED!?" screamed Eggman furiously.

"Hit confirmed! Move in!" Tails shouted on his radio as he watched Sonic and Knuckles run back up to Monsterbot, while Sticks took care of Amy.

Knuckles jumped onto Monsterbot's right foot and began punching the shin with his strong fists, occasionally using the spikes on his gloves in an effort to do more damage.

"Heads up! I'm gonna take a big one here!" yelled Sonic as he jumped off the ground with a tremendous leap.

The hedgehog's jump was just enough for him to reach the the top of the forehead, where Eggman was jerking with his controls.

Sonic performed a Spin Dash just as he made his midair approach, and the impact shattered the glass of the cockpit.

Monsterbot roared in fury and pain as Eggman fell out of his seat.

"AAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" screamed Eggman as he was thrown around in the cockpit.

Then, the villain was blasted through a hole in the glass dome that Sonic had made, and he fell out of his monstrous robot.

Sonic came back down just in time to watch Eggman fall out of his robot.

"Heh! I guess that with no controller, they'll be nothing more from this monstrosity! Time to finish it off!" said Sonic.

But Sonic was wrong …

Monsterbot managed to shake off its pain and growl once again, even with no Eggman behind the controls.

This left Team Sonic completely dumbfounded.

"Okay! Why is this the case!? Did Eggman put some DNA in this thing or something!? I think it's alive!" yelled Knuckles.

Another missile approached the robot at that moment, having been fired from Tails' Tornado.

The missile struck the robot's weak spot again, but this time, there was barely any effect on the metal monster.

"WHAT!?" screamed Tails in shock, "THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT!"

"What is this? Some sort of robotic vampire!?" asked Sonic.

"If that were the case, then it wouldn't be active right now!" argued Knuckles, "The sun's still up!"

Meanwhile, Amy had just woken up after being hit. Sticks was right beside her.

"Oh, Amy! I'm so glad you're awake! I've gotta get you outta here!" said Sticks as she watched Amy awaken.

"Thanks, Sticks, but I think I can-"

As Amy tried to get herself up, she felt a sharp pain in her back.

"OOOW! OOOOH!" the pink hedgehog yelled in pain as she fell back down.

"Amy! Please be okay!" yelled Sticks.

"You go ahead and help the others! They need you more than I do!" said Amy.

"No! I can't leave you alone!" protested Sticks, "That metal obliterator will destroy you if you're left alone!"

"Not unless it's preoccupied with Sonic and Knuckles. You must help them, Sticks," said Amy.

Sticks sighed and took a deep breath before she stood up and rejoined the battle, leaving Amy to deal with her wounds.

Tails fired several more missiles at Monsterbot's "heart", but, even though every one of them hit the target, no more damage was done.

Meanwhile, Eggman had gotten back up after falling out of the robot, assisted by Orbot and Cubot.

"Are you alright, Doctor?" asked Orbot.

"I'll be much better once Monsterbot finishes them off!" replied Eggman angrily.

"How is it that it's still fighting while you're not in the cockpit?" asked Cubot in confusion.

"Because I have a special autopilot system linked with its superior fighting skill which enables it to fight on its own. I trained it myself!" explained Eggman, "And with a special cell placed over the spot Tails had hit, they don't stand a chance! AAAAH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAAA!"

Eggman's predictions were soon proven correct …

Sticks was banging on Monsterbot's foot with her boomerang again, when the robot suddenly fired a ball of plasma from its chest and hit her directly in the forehead, instantly knocking her unconscious as she fell off the foot.

Knuckles was climbing up the right leg when Monsterbot lowered its left fist and punched Knuckles so hard that he fell off the leg and crashed against the ground on his back, rendering him no longer able to move.

Tails was watching in horror as his team was quickly being defeated.

"Blue Leader! Back out, now! The robot has gone completely insane!" yelled Tails.

Sonic jumped off the robot's foot and scurried over to where Knuckles lay on his back.

"Knuckles!" said Sonic in horror.

"Sonic," replied Knuckles weakly.

The hedgehog grabbed Knuckles and carried him to safety. Then, he noticed an injured Amy with an unconscious Sticks on her lap.

"Sonic! Monsterbot is going totally berserk! It's no use! We're gonna have to back out of this!" said Amy.

Sonic glared at his teammates and crossed his arms.

"Do you think I, Sonic the Hedgehog, would ever back out of a battle like a heartless coward!?" the hedgehog yelled.

Amy and Knuckles were taken aback by Sonic's mood.

"But Sonic, the robot is so invincible! We've tried everything!" said Knuckles.

"Well, I am not backing down until this thing is finished, whether any one of us dies or not! This robot will be trashed once and for all!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Well, if you need help, you only have Tails," informed Amy, "The rest of us are too badly hurt to even stand up."

"Then, hide somewhere the robot won't find you until Tails and I have finished it off!" ordered Sonic, "I can't risk seeing an injured fighter further endangering his or herself!"

With that, Sonic ran back up to Monsterbot and took another giant leap off the ground.

"COME ON, YA MONSTER! SHOW ME WHATCHA GOT!" screamed Sonic as he fixed his eyes on Monsterbot's blood red eyes.

The robot's eyes were seemingly fixed on Sonic as it prepared to strike him down.

Tails watched from the cockpit of his plane while his big brother prepared to attack Monsterbot. He held his breath as he awaited what would happen next.

"_I hope he doesn't get killed while doing this," _thought Tails as his eyes were fixed on Sonic.

The hedgehog began his Spin Dash and charged as hard as he could at Monsterbot's weak spot; his "heart".

The spinning attack made a heavy impact on the glowing red crystal that shone very brightly. The crystal even shattered from the impact that smashed it.

Monsterbot roared very loudly as chest pain forced it to take a few steps back and nearly fall off its feet.

While the robot was growling with pain, it swung its right clawed hand around and managed to smash Sonic while he was coming back down.

"UGH!" yelled Sonic as he felt a sharp pain in his chest from the impact.

The hedgehog fell on his back with a huge "SPLAT!"

"AAARGH!" moaned Sonic as he stared up at a weakened Monsterbot.

The robot proceeded to fire several missiles at an injured Sonic, but, despite the pain that was threatening to kill him, Sonic managed to dodge all of the missiles by rolling around on the ground.

Tails had seen everything. He knew now that only one hope was left in defeating Monsterbot.

"Sonic, are you okay!?" asked Tails on his radio.

"I feel like I've been hit in the chest with a cannonball!" replied Sonic with painful moans, "I'm afraid it's gonna be up to you, little brother. You're our only hope."

"WHAT!?" yelled Tails as horror struck his heart, "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"

"I am serious, Tails! The rest of us have all been taken out! You're the only one left who can fight this monstrosity! We've weakened it enough to render some of its body parts immobilized, now it's up to you to finish it off!"

Tails gulped several times as he received those instructions from his big brother.

"(gulp) Okay, Sonic! I'll keep firing until that weak spot's taken enough!" said Tails as he pressed his "Fire" button several more times while fiddling with the weapon controller.

Missiles, plasma balls, lasers and balls of fire all blasted out of the Tornado towards Monsterbot.

The robot fought off several attacks and knocked them back towards Tails, while others managed to further penetrate its weak spot and weaken it even more.

Tails jerked with his control yoke in his effort to dodge the attacks that had backfired towards him. He was nearly hit in the head by a plasma ball, being spared death by just a few inches.

"MAN! That was wild!" shouted Tails as he brought his head back up after dodging the plasma.

Monsterbot was still fighting back. It fired more missiles and plasma balls at the Tornado, but Tails had already turned the plane back as if he were bailing out.

"WHAT! TAILS!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" yelled Sonic as he watched Tails turn away.

"I'm taking a more serious approach to this!" replied Tails, "If weapons aren't enough to finish him, then I'm gonna face him … MYSELF!"

Sonic's heart exploded upon hearing that last word.

"_Tails is gonna sacrifice himself!?" _he thought as his eyes grew wide with horror.

"Tails! Are you outta your mind!? You'll get killed!" said Sonic.

"It's the only way, Sonic! I've been in this sacrificial position before! If it paid off once, it'll pay off again!" shouted Tails as he finally turned back towards Eggman's lair, which was now ten thousand yards away.

"Tails, … I just-" Sonic began, but he couldn't finish his sentence as tears formed in his eyes, fearing this would be the end for his little brother.

"Sonic, … whatever happens," Tails began as he fought back tears, "Whether I make it out alive or not, … I just want you to know that … I love you, buddy! You're a wonderful brother, Sonic, … and I'll always have a special place in my heart for you!"

Sonic grinned faintly as he leaked a few tears.

"I love you, too, buddy. Whatever happens to you, I'll always think of you as a great little brother, too," the hedgehog replied tearfully.

"Thanks, Sonic," said Tails as tears poured from his eyes, "Wish me luck, big bro."

"Good luck, little bro," answered Sonic.

It was only then that Tails shut off his radio, and he took a few deep breaths as he contemplated what he somehow felt could be his final thoughts.

"_No matter what happens, I'll be happy when it's over. I'll be with Sonic if I make it out of this. I'll be with Cosmo if I don't make it out of this. Either way, it'll be for the good of everyone," _thought Tails before he grabbed the throttle with his right hand.

The way he held the throttle felt very familiar to him. It almost felt like holding the trigger button in the moments leading up to Cosmo's untimely death. The only difference was that, instead of sacrificing another friend, he was sacrificing himself.

"_If I don't make it out, guys, then this may well be goodbye," _said Tails in his thoughts as he finally pushed the throttle as hard as he could.

The Tornado instantly gained speed as it aimed directly at Monsterbot.

Two hundred miles per hour; three hundred miles per hour; and still gaining speed as Monsterbot quickly drew nearer.

Sonic and the others watched nervously as Tails rocketed his plane towards Eggman's monstrous robot.

"He's not … giving up his own life, is he!?" shouted Amy in horror.

"I just hope he can make it out. I'm sure he knows what he's doing," replied Sonic nervously.

Sticks woke up at that moment and quickly saw what the others were doing. Everyone had their eyes on Tails and his Tornado, much to her confusion.

"What's going on?" the badger asked.

"Tails is making a sacrifice move," said Knuckles, "Again."

"Again? What do you mean, 'again'?" asked Sticks confusingly.

"Long story," replied Sonic, knowing it was too soon to tell Sticks about Tails' sad moment with Cosmo.

"Wait! You mean he's gonna get himself killed!?" yelled Sticks in horror.

"I'm afraid it looks that way," replied Knuckles sadly.

Tails gritted his teeth and nearly shut his eyes as Monsterbot was just three thousand yards away.

"_I must do this! I must time this right!" _thought Tails as he quickly pondered on what he would do once the moment was right.

The Tornado's engines were roaring loudly around the fox, nearly bothering his ears, but he ignored the noise and kept on gaining speed on what would be this Tornado's last attack on anything.

The fox's heart was pounding heavily as he seemingly awaited what could be his moment of death waiting to blow him up. He knew there was only one chance.

The propellers in front of the plane were spinning as fast as they ever had, as Tails intended to use those to make the final penetration that would blow up Monsterbot … and the Tornado.

One thousand yards away; six hundred miles per hour and gaining!

"_Well, … this is it!" _thought Tails as he braced himself for the unexpected …

* * *

_**Sorry to end it here, but it only felt proper to end the chapter here for several really good reasons.**_

_**Will Tails get his luck? Will Monsterbot meet its demise? Will Tails be able to survive his own attack?**_

_**I'll be back tomorrow with chapter fourteen, … where the "unexpected" will happen!**_


	14. Triumph

_**Well, ladies and gentlemen, here it is; the moment you have all anticipated! Tails vs. Monsterbot … all in just a few ghastly seconds! Who will survive, and who won't?**_

* * *

Team Sonic watched in horror as their aerialist flew his plane directly towards the heart of Monsterbot. To them, this felt like a nightmare about to explode before their very eyes.

Eggman, Orbot and Cubot were also watching with interest. By now, they could care less about Monsterbot. They were interested to see if Tails would survive or not.

Five hundred yards left; seven hundred miles per hour! Almost the speed of sound!

Tails finally took his hand off the throttle and let it keep gaining speed on its own. Then, he held his breath as he undid his seat belt and stood up on his seat.

The fox waited as the milliseconds ticked by. The plane came closer to its fate against the giant robot. The glowing red heart of Monsterbot was soon all Tails could see.

"_Here goes nothing," _thought Tails as he waited just one more critical second before he made his move …

The nose of the plane was now under the robot's chin. It was at this instant that Tails suddenly jumped off his seat and landed on one of the wings before …

…

… he took a giant leap off the plane!

His left foot left the surface of the wing just milliseconds before the Tornado's front propellers sliced into Monsterbot's heart!

In an instant, a loud explosion roared across the area surrounding Eggman's island fortress. A huge ball of fire emerged from the impact of the collision that was only just beginning to slice into the robot.

Sonic had his eyes fixed on Tails as he watched him jump off the Tornado before letting it finish off Monsterbot. Still, he felt extremely worried for his little brother.

"_That's a huge jump he's taking, and that fire is gonna get real big real fast! I must wrestle myself over there!" _thought Sonic as he struggled to get himself up due to the pain in his chest.

The nose of the plane dug into Monsterbot's chest, causing even bigger and louder explosions of fire to erupt from the deadly embrace between the two machines.

Amy, Knuckles and Sticks all looked away and covered their ears to escape the noise of the explosions.

Sonic successfully got himself back up to his feet, and he kept his eyes on Tails, who was still falling.

Monsterbot was knocked off its feet as the Tornado shoved it backwards. Within milliseconds, both were engulfed in flames as the explosions still blasted from the impact of the collision.

"_If Tails could pull off a stunt like this, I would call him the most amazing fox I've ever known!" _thought Sonic as he kept his timing on what he planned to do.

Tails shut his eyes as he attempted to spin his twin tails, but the force of his fall was just enough to prevent his tails from propelling him. It seemed that he was now falling to his death, having attempted to escape a fiery crash.

Sonic quickly noticed that Tails was unable to propel himself with his namesakes, and he zipped at his supersonic speed towards the spot where he was sure Tails would land.

Debris began to fall from Monsterbot and the Tornado, which were still locked in a terrifying, explosive collision course. Nails, pieces of metal, machine guns and sharp claws fell towards Sonic, but he dodged all that threatened to slice him just before he could see Tails in a close distance.

The hedgehog lifted his arms and got himself ready to catch his brother.

Tails still had his eyes closed as he could only feel the air below him rushing violently upward, indicating to him that he was still falling. It had only been four seconds since he jumped off the Tornado, yet it felt like several minutes had gone by.

Sonic dodged a piece of one of the Tornado's propellers before raising his arms again, ready to catch Tails.

The fox was soon within Sonic's reach, although he had no idea that anyone was there, for his eyes were still closed tightly. He was ready for the impact. He felt ready to die right then and there. He had sacrificed himself to defeat Eggman and save Team Sonic and Bygone Island, and now here he was, ready to meet his moment of death.

Sonic kept his eyes locked on Tails until the fox came within reach. Just as Tails' head had reached the height of Sonic's head, the hedgehog's hands grabbed hold of the fox's shoulders and grasped them as tightly as they could to keep hold.

Tails soon felt his back being grabbed by something, and he opened one of his eyes to see what it was that was holding him.

"I gotcha, little buddy!" said a familiar voice that Tails knew very well.

Sonic had wrapped an arm around Tails' back while keeping hold of his shoulders. The hedgehog was forced to take a few steps back due to the force of breaking his little brother's severe fall. The hedgehog soon fell on his back while Tails landed right on top of him.

Tails opened his eyes once he felt the air cease moving around him, and he noticed Sonic looking at him from up close.

"S-S-S-So-Sonic!?" said Tails in surprise.

"I gotcha, Tails!" replied Sonic, wrapping both arms tightly around Tails to ensure he was safe … for good.

Tails quickly realized what had happened.

"_Sonic rushed in to save me!? I thought he wouldn't be able to do such a thing like this! I must be very lucky to have him as a big brother!" _thought Tails happily as he knew now that he was safe and alive.

The two brothers looked back towards the crash …

The Tornado drove itself right through Monsterbot's chest and shoved the robot backwards towards the edge of the cliff side.

Eggman had watched everything from behind a rock, with Orbot and Cubot. He was devastated to see these events unfold before his very eyes.

"NAAAOOOOO! MY MONSTERBOT! PLEEEEASE! NAAOOOO!" the villain screamed as Tails' Tornado drove Monsterbot off the cliff.

Finally, the two burnt machines fell off the cliff and landed on a giant rock …

The impact caused one last giant explosion, bigger and louder than all others.

Sonic and Tails raced away as fast as they could, picked up Amy, Knuckles and Sticks, and hid them all behind another giant rock behind Eggman's lair.

The volume of the explosion was so deafening that even with their ears covered, all five heroes had a hard time protecting their hearing abilities.

Fire quickly spread from the explosion and reached Eggman's fortress in seconds.

Sonic and Tails caught a brief glimpse of the explosion. A uniquely-shaped smokescreen was forming, as if an atomic bomb was detonating.

In no time at all, Eggman's lair was melting to smithereens due to the extraordinary temperatures that were hot enough to melt the structure of the building.

The heroes all ducked and covered their heads as they felt the land rumbling like an earthquake. The explosion was still roaring in the distance, and the fire was searing Eggman's lair like it was a piece of easily-cooked ham.

Within just a few more seconds, Eggman's lair was collapsing. Burned metal fell from above the rock where the heroes' were taking cover. They crawled around to avoid being hit by the debris that fell from the lair's remains.

To Team Sonic, it felt as if hours were going by while waiting for this fiery moment to end, although it had only been fifteen seconds since Tails crashed his Tornado into Monsterbot.

Finally, after another fifteen seconds, the volume of the explosion dimmed down, and the land stopped vibrating. Smoke filled the entire area, forcing the heroes to keep their heads down to avoid toxic inhalation.

Eventually, the smoke cleared, and the heroes could finally get back on their feet, although Sonic and Tails were the only ones capable of standing up.

All five heroes were covered in black soot from the smoke which had filled the area following the crash. Each of them let out a few coughs to let any possible smoke out of their systems.

Tails walked over and found that Eggman's lair had been melted completely. The only remains were a huge pile of black, toasted, melted rubble. Black smoke poured from the remains of the lair, but even more poured up from where the doomed Monsterbot and Tornado had landed.

The fox dodged more smoke as he walked over to where he could see his Tornado and Eggman's Monsterbot, which were both now no more than one huge pile of burned rubble and twisted metal.

Tails scanned the extent of the damage until he noticed what was left of Monsterbot's head. The mouth was still wide open, with some of its teeth now missing. Most of the remaining teeth were burned, and the undamaged ones were covered in red slime, which may have been from a liquid source the robot was using.

"Ugh! I've never seen a more horrifying pair of robotic jaws than those," commented Tails as the sight of Monsterbot's jaw greatly disturbed him, "I'm gonna be having nightmares for weeks."

"But at least I can sense some good dreams for you soon," came a familiar voice standing right behind Tails.

The fox looked back and noticed Sonic standing right behind him with a grin on his face.

"You did it, Tails!" shouted Sonic happily as he pulled Tails into a very tight bear hug, "Great job, little buddy! You did it! You destroyed Eggman's Monsterbot!"

Tails gently hugged Sonic back and replied, "Hehe. I couldn't have done that without your encouragement, Sonic."

"You had me so worried, little bro. I was sure you weren't gonna make it out alive," admitted Sonic, "I thought I was gonna lose you."

"I actually thought I was going to sacrifice myself, too," replied Tails, "And die with honor, … but then I knew that there was a way to pull myself out of there without pulling myself out of the fight."

"Well, I'm so glad you're okay, Tails. I'm so glad you made it out of there alive. I'm so proud of you, little bro!" said Sonic.

"Thank you so much, big bro!" said Tails as happy tears streamed from his eyes.

"You're very welcome, little bro!" replied Sonic.

"I love you, Sonic!"

"I love you, too, Tails!"

The two heroic brothers hugged each other tightly for what felt like hours, not wanting to let go of each other. It was as if they were having a touchy reunion.

Their moment didn't last too long, though …

"Uh, Doctor, would you like us to assist in rebuilding your island fortress?" said a voice.

Sonic and Tails looked over and spotted a gloomy Eggman being tormented by Orbot and Cubot.

"This was supposed to be my best robot yet, and what do I get!? A fox, whose genius mind rivals my own, has the brains to destroy not only that, but everything I've ever had!" complained Eggman, "I can't bear to even take a glimpse at that fox!"

Tails grinned mischievously at Eggman, which the villain took notice of and glared madly in return.

"ENJOY YOUR TOUCHY REUNION WHILE IT LASTS! I'LL BE BACK, SONIC! I'LL BE BACK TO DESTROY THE WORLD WITH AN EVEN BIGGER ROBOT THAT WILL BE TOTALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE! I'LL FINALLY HAVE THE WORLD I WANT SOON!" screamed Eggman.

"Hah! We'll see about that, Egg Face!" replied Tails with a mischievous grin as he walked up to Orbot and Cubot and bashed their heads really hard.

The two robots then floated up to Eggman with evil glares on their faces.

"Our creator is nothing more than a huge pile of egg yellows!" said Orbot.

"Yes! Let's cook him in the ocean!" replied Cubot.

"Uh, you mean drown him!" corrected Orbot.

"What do you two think you're doing!?" asked Eggman as he cowardly stepped away from his lackeys.

"What did you do, Tails?" asked Sonic curiously.

"Just a few bonks to the head will be enough to twist their personalities for a while!" answered Tails cheekily.

"Stop! STOP! STAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOP!" screamed Eggman as Cubot shoved the villain off the cliff and into the ocean, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!"

There came the sound of a splash as Eggman fell into the water, with an angry Orbot and Cubot following him down.

"And now, it's time to torment him even further by humiliating him on this miserable failure!" said Orbot.

"Oh, just my thing!" replied Cubot.

"Hey! Aren't you guys gonna get us outta here!?" said another voice.

Sonic and Tails looked back and saw Knuckles waving to them.

The brothers quickly rejoined their injured teammates and checked for injuries.

Unfortunately, there were pretty rough injuries to all three of them, much to the brothers' dismay.

"It looks like you guys have taken quite a beating," commented Tails.

"I kinda took one, too," added Sonic, still feeling chest pain.

"Well, … at least it's over now," finished Tails, "It's nothing more than just a memory we may or may not wanna forget."

"I'll be remembering this one, buddy," said Sonic, "That awesome stunt you pulled off at the end was totally radical!"

"Shame I didn't get to watch it," said Sticks.

"Me neither," said Knuckles, "I guess I could wait a little longer before hearing the story. How on Mobius are we gonna get outta here?"

Tails looked around the surrounding area, then, by surprise, he found one of Eggman's capsules, which had not been damaged in the explosion.

"Looks like we're just lucky enough to find our ticket home!" commented Tails as he pointed to the lonely capsule.

"C'mon, Tails! Let's get our friends in the capsule and blast back home!" said Sonic.

"Right away, Sonic," answered Tails.

The fox picked up Amy and Sticks, while Sonic struggled with lifting Knuckles off the ground. His chest pain certainly didn't help, either.

Eventually, with one big pull, the hedgehog lifted the red echidna and slowly carried him to the capsule where Amy and Sticks had already been loaded.

Sonic handed Knuckles to Tails, who then proceeded to load him into the capsule before the brothers jumped in, themselves.

"Alright, everyone. Let's go home," sighed Sonic as the capsule closed.

Tails pressed a green button on the dash panel, and the capsule instantly sped away from the remains of Eggman's lair on a one-way trip back to Bygone Island.

* * *

_**Well, … I am happy to say that Tails is alive and well. Surely, you'd think I'd ever kill him off, would ya!? Nah! I would never do such a thing like that!**_

_**Eggman may have been humiliated yet again, but for our heroes, the story isn't quite over yet. I've got one last chapter coming in, and it shall be an excellent end to this wonderful story!**_

_**See ya at the finale! ;)**_


	15. Life is much easier with balance!

_**Hey, everyone! If you love a happy ending, then I'd be glad to bring you one! :)**_

_**I've enjoyed writing this fanfic, and I hope you'll enjoy this wonderful ending!**_

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the defeat of Doctor Eggman and his Monsterbot. Bygone Island was once again a lovely place of peace and harmony. The inhabitants wasted no time repairing the damage done to their villages, along with help from Team Sonic. For Eggman, however, it would take weeks for his robots to repair his island fortress due to its massive destruction after Tails blew up everything in the area with his Tornado.

For Team Sonic, things slowly returned to living a healthy, strong life on Bygone Island. Amy, Knuckles and Sticks had fully recovered from their injuries, and Sonic was once again enjoying the thrills of running at his supersonic speed.

Of course, no one could be happier than Tails. He had gone straight to work on building the robot he had planned to build for almost a month; his replacement for UT.

In the days following Eggman's defeat, Tails had finally found success in building his robot. His vacation time with Sonic had paid off, even if it was cut short by a day. To his delight, it only took a few hours for him to build his robot, since he had already completed the wiring and computer systems prior to the day of his breakdown which led to some vacationing with Sonic.

He later took the new "UT" outside his workshop and tried it out on the animals. Upon approaching a tree, Tails could hear birds chirping a sweet tune.

"I feel so delighted to have such a wonderful family," said UT, translating the mother bird's message to her children.

Tails grinned in delight. He was finally met with success for the first time in what felt like ages.

"Hehe. Just a simpler UT that has no need to translate English-spoken language. No more mind-reading, I trust?" said Tails in an effort to ensure that this new UT couldn't read minds.

UT said nothing.

Tails clapped his hands together and struck a victory pose before joyously shouting, "Yes!"

It had, indeed, paid off. Just two days away from home was all it took for Tails to regain his self-confidence and complete his "new" UT project. Words alone couldn't describe how happy he felt to be right on top of his game in his work again.

* * *

Today was Saturday. It had been exactly two weeks since Eggman was defeated. Tails was in his kitchen, cooking two large pancakes for breakfast. He thought that it would be nice to start off the day with a big meal.

Just then, he heard a knock on his front door.

"Well, maybe I have breakfast guests, or maybe I have a couple of good friends who wanna see me," chuckled Tails as he zipped out of the kitchen and ran up to the door.

The fox opened the door, and there stood Sonic, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks, all grinning warmly at him.

"Uh, good morning, guys," said Tails with a nervous chuckle.

"Good morning, little bro. How did you sleep last night?" asked Sonic.

"I slept very well last night," answered Tails, "How about the rest of you?"

"We all had a wonderful sleep last night," replied Amy.

Tails smiled at his friends after hearing such a lovely answer.

"We just thought we could drop in and see how you've been doing lately," said Knuckles.

"Well, come on in, then," replied Tails happily as he stepped aside.

The four all walked in through the door before Tails closed it behind them.

Sonic took a seat on the couch, while Knuckles and Sticks sat at the table by a window. Amy sat down on another small couch-like chair.

"It's so nice to see you in your happy mood again, Tails," said Amy.

"I'm so happy to be happy, too," replied Tails as he returned to the kitchen to look after his breakfast, "That vacation time really paid off! Before you know it, I'll have the Tornado rebuilt and running again in almost no time!"

"Hey, Tails, did you finish that project you were working on? The one you were working on prior to our vacation?" asked Sonic.

"Yep!" answered Tails, "And I perfected it! A new UT that doesn't read minds!"

"Oh, I'm so glad it doesn't read minds!" commented Sticks with relief.

"I know," sighed Tails, "Anyways, I'll be with you in a moment. I'm just finishing up with my breakfast here."

The stove timer rang, indicating that the pancakes were ready, and Tails immediately shut the stove off and slipped his pancakes onto a white plate. He spread some butter on them and poured maple syrup all over them to add some delicious flavor to his breakfast.

Finally, he walked over to the sofa with his breakfast and sat down next to Sonic as he placed his plate on his lap.

"You're quite a good chef, ya know!" commented Sonic as he looked at Tails' pancakes.

"Thanks, bro!" replied Tails happily before he started cutting the pancakes with his knife.

"So, Tails, I never really heard from you yet … on how your vacation went," said Amy.

"Yeah. Sonic told us some of the things you did, but we were thinking that your story on your vacation would tell us more," added Knuckles.

"What has Sonic told you so far?" asked Tails.

"I told them about visiting your old house, going back to Station Square, watching 'Sonic X', spending a day at Windy Hill, and that awesome time we spent briefly at Green Hill," said Sonic, "Everything else, I thought I'd save and let you share with them."

"I was astounded when I heard that you two had seen 'Sonic X'. It had been a while since any of us have seen an episode," said Amy.

"Well, except for Sticks. She's never seen any of them," sighed Knuckles.

"Maybe one day she might, considering that we went to a video store and got those," said Tails, pointing to the six 'Sonic X' DVDs on the shelf below his TV.

Amy, Knuckles and Sticks gazed at the DVDs, and they were all met with surprise.

"You got some 'Sonic X' DVDs?" said Amy.

"All seventy-eight episodes!" answered Tails.

Amy and Knuckles were met with astonishment upon hearing the number 78.

"Everything. The whole series! Not a single episode missing! It was one heck of a deal we got in that video store," added Tails before taking his first pancake bite.

"We could be in for some fond memories returning to us," said Sonic, "And Sticks might take a huge interest in the first two seasons."

"Perhaps, she could," replied Amy.

"Which episodes did you see the night you were in that hotel?" asked Sticks.

"I think it was twenty-five to thirty," said Tails, "The best was number thirty."

"The one where you defused a bomb in Station Square, Tails?" asked Knuckles.

"Yep!" said Tails happily, "It made our first night complete."

"Now that's one we oughta show Sticks one day soon!" said Amy.

Sticks grinned with interest.

Tails finished his first pancake and began eating the second one.

"So, little bro, have you started rebuilding the Tornado yet?" asked Sonic.

"Yes, I have," answered Tails as he bit into another bite of pancake, "It could take some time, though. I've already finished building the engines, but now I gotta work on building the plane's structure, and I don't wanna tire myself out again while at it. The last thing I need is another collapse in my workshop."

"Indeed. You gave me quite a scare that day," recalled Sonic.

"How long do you think it'll be before the Tornado can be revved up again?" asked Knuckles.

"You can't rush these things, Knuckles. Building planes take time," answered Tails, "However, if I were to come up with an accurate calculation, it could be a few days, as long as I keep a balance between time in my workshop, time in the house, and time outdoors with you."

Tails' friends all smiled at him. He could tell right then that they were delighted to hear the part about spending more time with them. Of course, it looked as if the five would get to spend lots of time together more often now, since Eggman wouldn't be able to hatch another scheme for months!

The young fox finally finished his breakfast, and he stood up and walked back into the kitchen.

"Did you guys already have breakfast?" asked Tails, "In case you didn't, I have plenty to offer."

"Yeah, we've already eaten," answered Amy.

"Thanks for the offer, though," added Sonic.

"You're welcome, everyone," replied Tails as he washed his plate and set it back in the cupboard with the other plates.

"Say, Tails, ya wanna go out with us for a while?" offered Sonic.

"Sure. Just gimme a minute while I take care of something," replied Tails.

"Do whatcha gotta do," said Sonic.

Tails then walked over to a window … where a white flowerpot with a small plant sat. Then, he grabbed a watering can which sat below the window, and he began to slowly sprinkle the plant with water.

The others watched in silence as their fox friend watered his plant. With the exception of Sticks, they all knew this plant was very special to him.

This was proven a moment later; once Tails stopped watering the plant, he knelt down on the floor and brought his hands together beneath his chin. He remained silent and still for nearly a minute.

"_He must be praying to Cosmo," _thought Sonic.

"_Cosmo really did mean a lot to him," _thought Amy.

"_I feel for him, … even to this day," _thought Knuckles.

Sticks simply watched quietly, feeling rather confused as to what Tails was doing.

Only Sonic, Amy and Knuckles could understand what Tails then whispered to his plant …

"I will always love you, Cosmo," whispered Tails as he looked at his plant, struggling to fight back some tears.

Then, he crossed his heart with his right hand and stood back up.

Sonic stood up from the couch and walked over to Tails before hugging him around his back, earning a faint grin from the fox.

"I'll always have a special place for her in my heart, … and one for you, too," said Tails in a whisper.

"You really are such a caring fox, Tails," replied Sonic.

"Thank you so much, Sonic," whispered Tails, "This vacation really helped me out a lot."

"You're welcome, Tails," replied Sonic in a whisper that only Tails could hear, "I love you, little bro."

"I love you, too, big bro," whispered Tails.

The two brothers hugged each other again in front of Cosmo's plant, then they turned back to a curious Amy, Knuckles and Sticks.

"Ready to head out and get some fresh air?" asked Amy.

"As a matter of fact, I am!" replied Tails happily.

"Well then, let's take a chill over at my place!" said Sonic.

"Great idea! I'd like to treat Tails to a nice game of volleyball!" said Knuckles.

"Sounds like fun!" said Tails.

"How's about we play some doubles games!?" suggested Amy.

"I'd love nothing more than a game of doubles volleyball!" answered Sticks.

"Then, let's go!" said Sonic.

The blue hedgehog opened the door and let the fresh air sink in. Tails came up behind Sonic and wiggled his fingers on his left shoulder.

"Hehehe! Tails!" giggled Sonic in ticklishness.

The two brothers walked out the door together and pumped their fists in brotherly fashion. Amy, Knuckles and Sticks followed them out and closed the door to Tails' house.

Then, the five, famously known as "Team Sonic", took a nice long run through the jungle as they journeyed to Sonic's shack to enjoy another fun summer day on Bygone Island!

For Tails, life at home has felt much easier than it did before he went on that enjoyable vacation. He couldn't thank Sonic enough for such a brotherly time with him. He was especially happy to have found his own balance between working on his gadgets and spending time with his friends, … particularly Sonic.

* * *

_**And so, this ends "A Brotherly Vacation"! I hope you have found this story so enjoyable! I had so much fun writing this, and I hope you had so much fun reading this! It may not have been the easiest thing in the world for me to write, but the effort I put into this was extremely high.**_

_**I wanna thank everyone who provided support for me while I was writing this, particularly Captain Hwawrang! You've been such a great supporter during the time I wrote this, and I hope to see much more from you in the future, just as you hope to see more from me!**_

_**With that, I'll be signing out for now. I hope to be back in more swings on FanFiction soon. Until then, … have a nice day, and I'll see you next time!**_

_**;)**_


End file.
